Great green macaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great green macaw |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Ara
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| Species: |
ambiguus
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| Subspecies | |
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Ara ambiguus ambiguus |
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| A. ambiguus distribution range | |
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The great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), also called Buffon's macaw, is a very large, critically endangered parrot. You can find these beautiful birds in parts of Central America and South America. They live in countries like Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of great green macaws. One type lives from Honduras to Colombia. The other type lives only in dry forests along the Pacific coast of Ecuador. These macaws usually live high up in the trees of wet tropical forests. In Costa Rica, they often live near a special tree called the almendro.
Contents
Understanding the Great Green Macaw
What's in a Name?
The great green macaw belongs to the Ara group of large parrots. This group also includes the scarlet macaw, military macaw, and blue-and-yellow macaw.
A French scientist named François Le Vaillant first described this bird in 1801. He called it "the great military macaw." Later, in 1811, a German scientist named Johann Matthäus Bechstein gave it the scientific name Psittacus ambiguus. He thought it was a unique species, different from the military macaw.
Around 2004, the scientific name changed from Ara ambigua to Ara ambiguus. This was because scientists decided the word ara should be treated as a male word in Latin.
Two Types of Great Green Macaws
Today, scientists recognize two subspecies that live in different areas.
- Ara ambiguus ssp. ambiguus: This type has the largest range, living across Central and northern South America.
- Ara ambiguus ssp. guayaquilensis: This type lives only in Ecuador. People sometimes call it Chapman's macaw. An American scientist named Frank M. Chapman first described this Ecuadorian type in 1925.
Recent studies looking at their mitochondrial DNA suggest that these two subspecies might not be as different as once thought. More research is needed to be sure.
What Does the Great Green Macaw Look Like?
Great green macaws are the biggest parrots in their natural homes. They are the second heaviest macaw species in the world. They are also the third heaviest parrot species overall.
These macaws are about 85 to 90 centimeters (33 to 35 inches) long. They weigh around 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds). They are mostly green. They have a reddish color on their forehead. Their lower back, rump, and upper tail feathers are pale blue. The tip of their tail is brownish-red with a very light blue edge.
Their face has bare skin with small dark feathers. These feathers look reddish on older and female macaws. Young macaws have grey eyes instead of black. They are also duller in color and have shorter tails with yellow tips.
The Ecuadorian subspecies, guayaquilensis, has a smaller, narrower beak. Great green macaws can look a lot like military macaws, especially where their homes overlap.
Where Do Great Green Macaws Live?
Great green macaws live in tropical forests. You can find them in the wet lowlands of Central America, from Honduras to Panama and Colombia. In South America, they live in the Pacific coastal lowlands of Panama, Colombia, and western Ecuador. They also live in dry tropical forests in Ecuador.
In Costa Rica, they prefer evergreen rainforests. These forests get a lot of rain for about ten months of the year. The temperature stays around 27 °C (81 °F) all year. During breeding season, they usually stay below 600 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level. After breeding, they fly to higher places, sometimes up to 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).
The macaws in Ecuador are found in two separate areas. One is in the coastal mountains near Guayaquil. The other is in the far north, near the border with Colombia.
Historically, these macaws lived in even more places. For example, they were once found in Limón, Costa Rica, and around Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
Where Else Are They Found?
Great green macaws are rarely seen in Singapore. They were introduced there and can be spotted on Sentosa island and in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West.
Great Green Macaw Life
Behavior
These birds are usually seen in pairs or small groups of up to eight birds. It's rare to see more than that together. In Costa Rica, they breed in low areas. After breeding, they fly to higher places in larger groups to find food. These groups can have up to 18 birds.
Great green macaws rest and look for food high up in the treetops. In Nicaragua, these macaws are not very afraid of people. They will often let you get quite close while they are eating.
Older people in Ecuador remember that until the 1970s or 1980s, the guayaquilensis subspecies would fly daily from mangrove forests near the coast to dry hilly woodlands.
Sounds They Make
Great green macaws make very loud, harsh calls like "aak, raak." You can hear these sounds from far away. Macaws kept as pets also make loud squawks, growls, and creaking sounds.
What Do They Eat?
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Great green macaws eat many different things in the wild. This includes seeds, nuts, and fruits. They also eat flowers, bulbs, roots, and tree bark. In Costa Rica, they use at least 38 different plants for food. The most important foods are the seeds or nuts from the almendro tree (Dipteryx oleifera).
Their strong beaks are perfect for cracking open large nuts. They can even crack bigger nuts than the scarlet macaw, which lives in the same areas. The almendro tree is a major food source during their breeding season. They will fly long distances to feed on these trees, even in open areas.
In Ecuador, the most important food plant for the guayaquilensis subspecies is Cynometra bauhiniifolia. This plant provides more food than all other plants combined. Another popular food and nesting tree in Ecuador is Vitex gigantea.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The great green macaw's breeding season in Costa Rica is from December to June. In Ecuador, it's from August to October. In Costa Rica and Nicaragua, they usually build their nests in the largest and most common trees, especially the almendro (Dipteryx oleifera).
These nesting trees are usually very tall, around 32.5 meters (107 feet) high, but can reach 50 meters (164 feet). The nest holes are often high up in the tree trunk, usually where a large branch has broken off. Sometimes, more than one pair of macaws will nest in the same tree!
scarlet macaws like the same nesting spots. This means the two species compete for good nest holes where they live in the same areas.
In Costa Rica, most pairs lay their first egg in January. The female lays 2-3 eggs and sits on them for 26 days. One parent, likely the female, stays on the eggs while the other finds food. Both parents help raise the young.
Chicks are in the nest from February to April. They can fly after 12–13 weeks and are ready to be on their own after 18–20 weeks. In the wild, usually two young macaws survive per nest. Young birds stay with their parents for a long time after they learn to fly. Great green macaws can live for 50–60 years, and sometimes even up to 70 years!
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Health Concerns
Great green macaws can suffer from a serious illness called "macaw wasting disease." This disease affects their digestive system and makes it hard for them to eat. It's thought to be caused by a virus.
Cultural Connections
The great green macaw is an important symbol in some places. In 2005, the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, declared the guayaquilensis subspecies, known locally as papagayo de Guayaquil, as an official symbol of the city. A large, 12-meter (39-foot) tall statue of this macaw was built there in 2006.
In El Castillo, Nicaragua, the macaw was also declared an official symbol.
Every year since 2002, a festival is held in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to promote great green macaw conservation. Nest caretakers, who help protect the nests, receive awards during this festival.
Local Names
In Spanish, the great green macaw is called guacamayo verdelimón or guacamayo verde mayor. In Costa Rica and Nicaragua, people often call it lapa verde.
The southern Ecuadorian population is known locally as papagayo de Guayaquil.
Great Green Macaws as Pets
This species can be bred in captivity. If kept as pets, they need a very large outdoor enclosure, at least 15 meters (49 feet) long. The enclosure should have a big tree trunk for them to chew on. They also need lots of chewable toys and fresh branches. A mister is good for bathing.
They need a healthy diet of soaked or sprouted seeds, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Special macaw pellets are also important. They enjoy large nuts like peanuts and acorns. It's good to give them small bits of gravel to help with digestion and extra calcium, especially for females. These birds can bite if they are not used to humans from a young age.
Protecting the Great Green Macaw
Status
The great green macaw is considered critically endangered by the IUCN, a group that tracks endangered species. This means they are at very high risk of extinction. They are also protected from international trade under CITES Appendix I, which means it's illegal to trade them across borders.
Even with conservation efforts, their numbers were estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 birds worldwide in 2020. In Colombia and Ecuador, they are also listed as critically endangered.
The Ara ambiguus ssp. guayaquilensis subspecies in Ecuador is one of the rarest parrots in the world. In 1995, only about twelve wild macaws of this southern population were thought to exist. However, a flock of 36 birds was seen in northern Ecuador in the early 2010s, which was good news!
Threats to Their Survival
The biggest threat to the great green macaw is the loss of its home, or habitat loss. It's estimated that 90% of their original habitat in Costa Rica was lost between 1900 and 2000. Their forest homes are being cleared for farms that grow crops like oil palm, pineapples, and bananas.
Cutting down almendro trees for wood has also harmed their habitat. These trees are very important for the macaws for both food and nesting.
Other threats include hunting for sport or feathers, and the pet trade. Chicks can be sold for high prices. Natural disasters like Hurricane Otto in 2016 also destroyed nests and led to large forest fires, further damaging their habitat.
In Ecuador, capturing chicks for the pet trade is still a problem. Some people even cut down trees to get to the nests. Macaws have also been killed because farmers see them as pests eating their corn.
Conservation Efforts
Many efforts are being made to protect the great green macaw:
Honduras
The macaws are found in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a protected area in eastern Honduras.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- Education programs have helped reduce the illegal trade of macaws in Costa Rica.
- A conservation plan called the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor was created. This plan connects different protected areas in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This allows animals to move safely between these regions.
- The Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica was created in 2005 as part of this plan.
- The Indio Maíz Biological Reserve in Nicaragua is a main safe place for this species.
- Cutting down almendro trees is now against the law in Costa Rica.
- Organizations like The Ara Project have released over 60 macaws that were bred in captivity back into the wild in Costa Rica.
- Fundación del Río works on macaw conservation in southeast Nicaragua.
Panama
Great green macaws are common and protected in parts of Darién National Park.
Colombia
They are protected in several national parks, including Utría National Natural Park, Los Katíos National Park, and Paramillo National Park.
Ecuador
- The southern Ecuadorian population is mostly protected in the Cerro Blanco Forest, a private reserve near Guayaquil. This reserve is planting more native trees.
- The Jambeli Foundation breeds macaws in captivity. Other groups like Parque Historico and the Guayaquil Botanical Garden teach people about these birds.
- Between 2017 and 2019, fourteen captive-bred macaws were released into the private Ayampe Reserve in Ecuador.
- The northern Ecuadorian population is protected in the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve and the Río Canandé Reserve.
See also
- The Ara Project – Macaw reintroductions in Costa Rica
