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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
blue-throated
macaw, Wagler's macaw, Caninde macaw (though this
common name is associated with an inappropriate
species classification - see 'GENUS SPECIES' below
for more info) |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Psittaciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Psittacidae
(true parrots) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ara
(macaw) glaucogularis [Some sources cite
caninde, though this delineation is likely
an inappropriate translation of Felix de Azara's
1802-1805 species account. 'Caninde' references
a specific Tupi-Guarani name for the blue &
gold macaw, Ara ararauna. Azara's description
likely references A. ararauna.] |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
This
is a large parrot. The forehead, crown, neck, wings
and tail light greenish-blue. The naked face is
striped with dark greenish-blue feather lines. In
color, the breast, body and the underparts of the
wings are all yellow, and the underparts of tail
feathers are orange. The beak is strongly hooked
and the feet zygodactylous (with 2 toes that point
forward and 2 toes that point backward). |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
85 cm (34 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
750 g (1.7 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
seeds, fruits, nuts, and berries |
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| INCUBATION: |
Approximately
29 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-3 eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
Approximately
4 months (then remain with their parents for up
to a year) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2-4 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
May
live to 80 years or more |
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| RANGE: |
Northern
central Bolivia |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
swampy lowlands to savannah grasslands |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Estimated
at 50-249 birds |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Critically
Endangered |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Critically
Endangered |
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|
| 1. |
This
species was unknown to aviculture until the 1970s
and still today a limited number of ornithologists
are unsure if it is truly a separate species, but
rather a subspecies of the blue and gold macaw (Ara
ararauna). |
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| 2. |
Macaws are monogamous, remaining bonded for life.
They are often seen flying in large flocks and the
bonded pairs fly close together, their wings nearly
touching. |
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| 3. |
In the wild, macaws often flock to mountains of
clay known as "macaw licks". |
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| 4. |
When
disturbed, these bright birds screech loudly and
circle overhead with their long tails streaming. |
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| 5. |
Macaws
are playful and inquisitive and are able to mimic
human vocalizations very well. |
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| 6. |
Macaws
are extremely messy eaters - their incredibly strong
beaks are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts
of nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack
open incredibly hard-shelled nuts with ease. |
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| 7. |
Macaws
are able to reach speeds of up to 35 mph. |
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In
the course of daily feeding, macaws allow plenty
of seeds (while eating, as well as in their droppings)
to fall to the forest floor, thus generating much
of the forest growth.
While
habitat loss is a concern for the small, splintered
blue-throated macaw populations, the species'
primary threat is capture/harvest for the international
pet trade. Though protected, the macaw's rarity
actually drives their price in the private pet
market particularly high - encouraging illegal
capture and trade.
In
1990, Defenders of Wildlife began a campaign in
which more than 100 commercial airlines agreed
to stop carrying birds. This stopped the delivery
of new birds to dealers and forced some of them
to breed the captive species they already had.
In 1995 the Wild Bird Conservation Act was enacted
and it halted the import of endangered birds,
especially macaws. The U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids
the commercial import of any bird listed by CITES
which includes most parrots - endangered or threatened.
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| |
|
|
|
Forshaw, J.M. Parrots of the World. New
Jersey. T.F.H. Publications Inc. 1978.
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|
| Marrison,
C. and A. Greensmith. Birds of the World.
New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc. 1993. |
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| Perrins,
C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New
York: Facts on File Publications. 1985. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/search/simple/ |
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| http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/birds/Ara_glaucogularis/more_info.html |
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http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?
action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1548&m=0 |
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http://www.houstonzoo.org/birds/pages/bltmacaw.htm
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| http://www.nwf.org/wildalive/macaw/ |
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| http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=1968 |
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http://www.worldtwitch.com/cybeni.html
Yamashita, Carlos & Machado de Barros, Yuri.
"The Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis:
Characterization of its Distinctive Habitats in
Savannahs of the Beni, Bolivia". Ararajuba
5(2): 141-150. December 1997. |
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