Q & A, Imperiled Green Macaws
ok with each other. How big is the cage or flight you have them in? One last thing, did the vet do a thorough check on the bird? I am guessing so, but if not, the bird should be checked for any diseases, infections (especially considering the dog)...
On a Side Note
TIME RUNNING OUT FOR IMPERILED GREEN MACAWS
By Mario Rivera C.
Green Macaw Project, Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a country roughly the size of Wales. It has a enviable position of being (until very recently) the only democracy in Central America. Rising up between the Atlantic and the Pacific as a land bridge between North and South America, Costa Rica lies in a region unique in the world: no other area is both between two oceans and between two continents.
Costa Rica is species rich. This small country that covers less than three ten- thousandths of the earth's surface is home to 5 percent of all the plant and animal species known to exist. There are reported to be: birds, 850 species; insects, 350,000; mammals, 208; vascular plants, 10,000.
One of this many species of birds is the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua) also known as Buffon's Macaw. This beautiful bird, which inhabits Costa Rica's Northern Zone, is on its way to extinction, listed already in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) which contains the most endangered species worldwide.
The great green macaw was once abundant in all parts of the Atlantic Coast of Costa Rica, but is now restricted to the northern zone of the country, due to loss of the almendro (Dipterix panamensis) tree habitat in other areas. The almendro tree, the green macaw's main source of food especially during its six-month fruiting period, has been rapidly deforested in recent years reducing the bird's habitat in 95.7%. The growing demand for almendro wood for floors and other special uses is the main reason behind the destruction of the bird's habitat.
Renowned U.S. biologist George Powell began studying the plight of the green macaw five years ago. Tracking the birds with radio transmitters helped his team determined in 1995 that the population has dwindled to 25- 30 reproductive pairs (at least 50 breeding pairs are needed for a genetically sustainable population).
This made him approach a small group of 17 concerned local and international organizations to form the Green Macaw Commission to spearhead early conservation efforts. In 1996, the Commission, sponsored partially by the British Embassy, was successful in persuading Costa Rica's Minister of the Environment to mandate a cautious moratorium on Almendro cutting.
However, the almendro is an important source of income in the
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