Costa Rica Birds – The Beautiful Green Macaw

The green macaw (Ara ambiguus) is the second biggest psittacidae in America.

It inhabits low humid lands located principally on the Caribbean side: from the East of Honduras to the North of Colombia, with an isolated poblation of less than two dozen individuals in Guayaquil, Equador.

In Costa Rica it lives in the Northern part (adjoining Nicaragua), where now only around 35 couples in reproductive age survive; but in the Southeast of the country the population is larger.

In Costa Rica this bird nests between December and June; doing it in natural cavities of large and hard living trees, principally the mountain almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis), that is also its principal food source.

The nesting area of the green macaw has been reduced as the forest has been cut down: in Costa Rica the ‘historic range’ of nesting has narrowed by about 90% down to 1,000 km² nowadays. In fact, what makes the green macaw an endangered species is the deforestation of the last five decades.

The recently created National Refuge of Mixed Wild Life Maquenque, vigorously promoted by the Project of Investigation and Conservation of The Green Macaw and by the Executive Committee of the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor, has as it’s priority, the goal to protect the nesting area of Ara ambiguus.

If you would like to see a great video of these beautiful birds flying and nesting please visit the Galeria Ambientalista here and click on the ‘See video’ button at the bottom left hand side.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.