Numbering between 110-130 known individuals in the wild, the Blue-throated Macaw is a species teetering on the edge of extinction. It is found only in the seasonally flooded savannahs in Llanos de Mojos in N Bolivia, with populations concentrated east of the upper Río Mamoré, Beni. Declines of over 80% in numbers are suspected to have occurred until the 1980s. In 1992 a wild population was rediscovered, but within a few short years the birds were trapped to near-extinction for the pet trade. Loss of habitat, nest failure and extreme weather patterns have also taken their toll. In over a decade of effort the Blue-throated Macaw Project, working with the WPT and many collaborators, has made significant strides in understanding the reproductive and recovery difficulties of this species. The project has sought to: manage wild populations by monitoring breeding pairs, protect nests and nestlings, aid breeding by installing artificial nest boxes, conduct surveys to determine the birds’ habits, release captive raised birds into areas where extinction has occurred, and build a captive breeding program in Bolivia. Researchers also plan to fully survey the population, determining numbers of wild pairs, juveniles and non-paired single birds, and attempt to use telemetry to monitor activity patterns of the birds. They will also determine if the macaws are seed dispersers, as opposed to seed consumer/destroyers, as this may aid their conservation in the future. Support our efforts for the most endangered Macaw in the wild: parrots.org/hero/
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 06:22:49 +0000
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