Developing techniques to increase – Macaw Reproductive rates –Amazon Nature Peru -Large macaws are among the most spectacular and revered birds in the world. Unfortunately, they are disappearing from many areas of the tropics. For example the Guayaquil subspecies of the Great-green or Buffon’s Macaw (Ara ambigua guyaquilensis) is in imminent danger of extinction (K. Berg pers. com.).
SUMMARY:
Developing techniques to increase – Macaw Reproductive rates –Amazon Nature Peru -Large macaws are among the most spectacular and revered birds in the world. Unfortunately, they are disappearing from many areas of the tropics. For example the Guayaquil subspecies of the Great-green or Buffon’s Macaw (Ara ambigua guyaquilensis) is in imminent danger of extinction (K. Berg pers. com.).
Amazon Nature Peru
In Costa Rica, the Great-green Macaw Amazon Nature Peru (A. a. ambigua) has been eliminated from 80% of its former range and only an estimated 200 remain (Powell et al in prep.). In Bolivia the Blue – throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) has been reduced to less than 200 individuals (Hess 1999). In addition, all the blue macaws, Glaucus, Lear’s, Hyacinth and Spix’s, are either
extinct or gravely endangered (Collar 1997, Juniper and Parr 1998). As a result, there is an urgent need to aid the recovery of macaw populations. The work described here uses three species of large macaws in Peru as a model system to develop techniques that can be used to help the recovery of other macaw species throughout the New World tropics (tambopata lodge chuncho clay licks).
The threats that face macaws are many and include habitat loss, hunting and collecting for the pet trade.
DETAILED ITINERARY:
Amazon Nature Peru
Amazon Nature Peru -Habitat loss takes many forms including clearing for agriculture, cattle ranching and logging . Agriculture, ranching and the subsequent human settlement eliminates the majority of the vegetation but in some
instances may leave sufficient food resources to support populations at least over the short term. Tropical logging operations are usually very selective, targeting first the largest examples of marketable trees. This leaves a large amount of vegetation standing including many possible food trees. Macaws are dependant on large, pre-existing tree cavities for nesting ( tambopata chuncho clay licks).
In many instances the nest trees they use may be hundreds of years old and even in virgin forests the lack of suitable nest trees limits the number of macaws that can breed each year (Munn et al. 1991). Logging operations that target
these large trees do insidious damage to macaw populations .
The forests may look health and still have relatively large numbers of macaws, but without suitable nesting sites, the macaw population is doomed to decline to extinction (tambopata chuncho clay lick).
Collection for the pet trade is a major threat to nearly all populations of large macaws (Juniper and Parr 1998). Collection techniques are varied and can target either adults or chicks. Adults are captured in a variety of ways either
for food, feathers or to be sold as pets. Snares are placed on suitable perches. In Ecuador collectors set fires at the bases of nests and the smoke is used to knock out or kill the adults (J. Socola pers. com.). In some cases adults are
shot in the wing while flying and collected alive. The collection of young for sale is more common than the collection of adults. This is due mostly to the higher demand for young because of the fact that they make better pets (tambopata chuncho lidge clay licks). Amazonia Rainforest Tambopata
OUR SERVICES:
PHOTO GALLERY OF THE SHELTER:
Frequently Asked Questions:
TRAVEL GUIDE: