Blue-throated Macaw - Ara glaucogularis

Blue-throated Macaw - Ara glaucogularis.

IUCN STATUS CATEGORY Endangered

HABITAT Gallery forests along rivers and around lakes, generally in swampy, semi-open regions. Seasonally inundated savannah and palm groves.

GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD Currently only known from north and east Bolivia. One old report from Paraguay is doubtful, and a record from Argentina may have concerned a wandering group.

CURRENT POPULATION This is one of the world's rarest parrots; probably around 100 pairs remain in the wild.

SIZE 85cm.

WEIGHT About 0.75kg.

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY Not given.

NORMAL DIET Seeds, fruits, nuts and other vegetable matter.

NORMAL LIFESTYLE The Blue-throated Macaw seems to require presence of the palm Attalea phalerata, which is locally abundant. Usually found in pairs, the Blue-throated Macaw is often found in the company of the commoner Blue and Yellow Macaw. Breeding season is from November to March.

PREVIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD Unknown. The species' present distribution has only been recently confirmed by biologists.

REASONS FOR DECLINE Trapping for the wild bird trade.

CURRENT THREATS The rarity of this Macaw makes it highly coveted in the international wild bird trade. Local trappers are well aware that it is worth a great deal more money to them than the common Blue and Yellow Macaw Ara ararauna, so they selectively seek live specimens.

CONSERVATION PROJECTS Efforts are being made to reduce trade and encourage community-based conservation action. The species is nominally protected by national law, and international trade is prohibited under the CITES agreement (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

SPECIAL FEATURES Unknown in aviculture until the late 1970s.

REFERENCES

Anon. 1997. Help for Bolivian macaws. World Birdwatch 19(1): 4.

Collar, N.J., Gonzaga, L.P., Krabbe, N., Madroņo Nieto, A., Naranjo, L.G., Parker (III), T.A., and Wege, D.C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. ICBP (now BirdLife International), Cambridge.

Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J., and Stattersfield, A.J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds. BirdLife International, Cambridge.

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