Chuck Ripper: St. Lucia Amazon

Artist: Chuck Ripper
1929 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1993
Image Size: 12.75 by 14.5 inches
Overall Size: 14.75 by 17.75 inches
Medium: Gouche Water Color on Masonite

People around the world love brilliantly-hued parrots and parakeets. But it is this very affection that has decimated the population of these creatures in the wild. For the colorful, gem-like tropical birds are widely captured and distributed to pet stores and bird connoisseurs across the globe. The shock of this treatment alone is enough to kill many unfortunate birds. And in captivity, they are prone to illness, injury and premature death. Among the most threatened of these birds is the St. Lucia Amazon, also called the Versicolor Amazon. This large, 17-inch-long parrot is a resident of the Caribbean islands of St. Lucia and the Lesser Antilles. It is characterized by a reddish-pink chest with feathers that are bordered in black, a beautiful sky blue face, and a beak tipped with black. The tropical island home of these birds is currently undergoing changes that may further threaten their survival. Primarily agricultural, St. Lucia is covered with fertile rain forests and dotted with small farms. The rich volcanic soil supports crops of bananas, coconuts, cacao and citrus fruits, which are widely exported. However, the island also has a rapidly-growing petroleum complex and other burgeoning industries. Time will tell if the St. Lucia Amazon can survive or if it will join other members of its family which, like America's once-common Carolina Parakeet, have vanished forever.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover of the United Nations Endangered Species Series 29¢ St. Lucia Amazon stamp issued March 18, 1994.

Artwork Copyright © 1993 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB14626

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