Environmentalists fight for Guatemala's endangered macaws

It's mating season in the Maya Biosphere...for the scarlet macaw, a crucial time of year. This protected forest reserve is home to 300 birds, almost all of Guatemala's macaw population, and conservationists like Marcial Cordoba of the Wildlife Conservation Society, are doing all they can to protect nests and ensure that numbers go up rather than down.

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Breeding centers are saving Costa Rica’s endangered macaws

Two great green macaws play at a nursery of the ARA Project in AlajuelaThe majestic macaw—a member of the parrot family—is truly an emperor among birds, and I thrill to each and every sighting while in Costa Rica.

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Introduction, Breeding and Poaching of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao L.) in a Temperate Country:

A Case Study from The Netherlands

Scarlet Macaw Parrots in The NetherlandsAbstract: Poaching for the pet bird trade is one of the main threats to wild parrots. Parrots in urban areas might be exempt from poaching because nests are likely inaccessible in the urban mosaic of public and private lands where the public and authorities keep more effective vigilance than in natural habitats. We report on the demographics and fate of a small population of exotic Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) introduced into the urban area of Haarlem in The Netherlands in the 1970’s, which has a temperate, maritime climate, quite unlike the natural breeding area of the species. One breeding pair was reported, with successful breeding attempts in at least eight years between 1980 and 2009. A series of poaching events between 2005 and 2009 likely lead to the demise of the local nesting population of Scarlet Macaws.

Keywords: Poaching, Exotic species, Establishment, Breeding success, Ara macao, Parrot.

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Macaws poached in the Chiquibul

Scarlet macawThe Scarlet Macaw may arguably be the most magnificent bird of the parrot family. They live in higher elevations and riparian forests, where they form their habitat in tall deciduous trees and lay about two to three eggs for the year. Only a small population of the endangered species remains in Belize. In the Chiquibul, their central breeding ground, it was first recorded that Guatemalans would engage in opportunistic poaching while in the forest to extract lumber and xate. But in recent years, there is evidence that they come solely in the Chiquibul Forest to poach the Macaws for a thriving pet trade. News Five’s Andrea Polanco tonight concludes a special report on the Chiquibul with the story of the beautiful macaw.

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Saving the Pine Macaws of Honduras