PROMOTING EXCELLENCE

IN PARROT CONSERVATIONAVICULTURE AND WELFARE

7e€e 7tlt:Pd!d jD~ 7~ Vol. 9 No. 3 August 1997

VisitingtheUyacinthMacawConservationSiteSouthernPiauiState,Brazil.ABriefReportto theWorldParrotTrustandtheInternationalAviculturistsSocietybyWm.RichardPorter,MDINTRODUCTION developmentof thisareaasasite oversoldtheirflightsandleft sevenThelargestnativepopulationof the for ecotouris.mhasbeen.considered. ou.tof.theeightof usderartingendangeredHyacinthMacaw KayteeAvIanFoundatlO~ .. Mla1p.1atthegate..DespIteourAnodorhynchushyacinthinusis sponsored.anEcotourto t~ISslt.em confIrmedreservatIOnsa~dlocatedin thePantanalregionof orderto raIsefundsfor thIsproject threehouradvancecheckm,weBrazil. andtoevaluatethefinancial spentanenjoyablefirst dayof our

Thispopulationis largely viabilityof long-termecotourismas trip touringMiami'sKmartandprotectedonhugecattleestatesand asustainablesourceof funding. FairchildGardenswhileawaitingaaslongastheyhavebecomeof Accor.dinglyt~isreportwill include flight thefollowingnight.N~ttovalueto thelandownersastourist moremformatlOnonthetravelthan fear,our luggagemadetheflIghtattractions,theirwelfareis relatively mightotherwisebenoted. event~oughw~didn't. (Oth.erssecure.Thenextlargestremaining TRAVEL trav~llmgto thIs.area~ay wIshtopopulationis locatedover a drier .. consIderalternatIve01ght .areaincludingtheSouthernportion Thegroupor ~Ighteengomgonthe arrangements.asVangIS.qUlteof thePiauiStateof Brazil. Kaytee tour.wassplItmtotwogroups,one casualr~gardmgseatassIgnments,AvianFoundation,WorldParrot leavmgfor B~azlloutofApa~taand r~servatlOnsandtodatehasnotseenTrustandtheInternational as~condleavmgoutof Mlall1l. fIt to respondtoourletters.)UponAviculturistsSocietyhavebeen ThIswasarra~ge~~y thetravel arrivingSaoPa~lo,wefor~u.na~elyfundingeffortstoprotectthis agentandVangaIrlmessuch.that ~adeaconnectIOnto Br~sllIa.mpopulationsincephotosandvideo therewould~enoproblemsm . tIme to cat~~t~e oncedaIly flIght topertinentto itsrediscoverywere accommodatmgourgroupasflIghts Barrerras,JOlmngtherestof ourpresentedbyDr.CharlesMunnat runprettyfull. Evenso,Varig group.Severaldayslaterthethe1995and1996IASConventions.Dr.HeatherBowlespresentedadditionalinformationfromthispopulationatthe1997IASConvention.Thereader

is referredto thoseProceedingsforadditionalhistoryandbackgroundinformation.In thisconservationeffort,thebasicpremiseis toofferformertrappersanalternativeincome-producmg

lifestyleprotectingthebirds.Earlyeffortsweredirectedtowardutilisingatractortopreparegroundfor subsistencefarmmgandemployingformertrappersaswardens.In ordertoprovideasustainablesourceof mcometoprovideprotectionfor thisarea,

, ,psittacine(sit' asin) Belongingor allied to the , ,parrots; parrot-like

checkedbaggagecaughtupwith us.UponarrivingBarrerrasin early

afternoon,thegroupateata localcafeteriaandrode mtaxisforseveralhoursto theChapadadasMangabeiras.At thispointwetransferredtoa flatbedtruckasthe"road"wasimpassableforautomobiles.Eventhoughit wasseveralhoursafterdarkandmanyhadbeenwithoutsleepfor thepreceding24hours,therewasnosleepingonthetruckasweviewedthehabItatby spotlightonthelasthourto thecamp.Arrivingatthecampwewere

greetedwith a filling mealandmdividualhutsfor eachcouplecompletewith mattresses,newsheetsandunneededmosquitonetting.Sleepingarrangementswerequitecomfortable.

10Hyacinths feeding asseenfrom blind. Photo: W R. Porter

I If we can save the parrots, we may yet save ourselves @WPTI

2

Birders on a morning walk (L-R: Doug Trent, Paula Fox, Terry Fox).

HABITATANDFOODS Attaleaeichleri(Palmsof thebl b Amazon)althoughtheycould

Overallth~areawouldproba y e certainlybeanothersimilarspecies.bestdescnbedasaplat~auof dry Thesedonotappearto beSyagrusforestsurroundedby cliffs.M.°st commosaorAttaleafuniferaastheytre.eswerelessthan7 metersm arere ortedin otherareas.Theheightandgrassesgrowbetween "Catofe"fruit is 1-2seeded

~hetrees.Therewer~areasof oblovoid4-6cmlongand3 -5c.m.mcr~~.sedmOIsture~.Ithstandsof in diameter.The"Piassava"frUltISBuntnpalmsMaur.ztlafle~uosa. similarin shape,oftenslightlyAlthoughtheHyacmthswill work smaller,with multiple(4-7)mtheyoungfr~ndsandmay.at endospermperfruit. ThetimeseataportIOnof thefruit of "Piassava"seemedto growin areasthesepalms,wedidnoto~serve thatwerecloserto waterthanthethemeati~ganyof ~hefrUlt. "Catole".AlthoughsomenutsofalthoughIt wasavailable.In thl.s bothwerein evidencein June,theareatheHyacinthsnestin thecl~ffs, "Piassava"wasmorecommonwitheatin theearlymorningandagal~ the"Cato1e"nutsbeingmorein midto lateafternoon.At thetime immatureandreportedto ripenof ourvisit,themacawswere duringthe"eggingseason"roostingatnightin remotepalm (SeptemberthroughDecember).Ittrees.Theformertrappersidentified wouldappeartobemuch~asierandfive primaryfoodsthemacawseat. alot lessworkfor aHyacmthtoThetwoprimarypalmnutsthe chewthroughthemeasocarpof thehyacinthseatare"Piacava"and "Catole"to gettheoneor twolarge"Catole".Anotherpalmnuteaten seedsratherthanworkthroughthe(thoughnotin seaso~duringthis additio~alhardfibr?usmatenalvisit) is "Tutum"whichhasa separatmgthemultipleseedof thesomewhatsmallernut. Theyalso "Ptassava".

eatthefruit of the"Jatoba"tree Thesepalmtre~sgro.wi.nareas(resemblingalarge wherethegrassISpenodlcallysetfat overgrowngreenbean)aswell onfire. Withtheirundergroun~

asthefruit of the"Sapucaia" growthhabittheysurvivethefires,(approximatelya6cmeggplant andindeedthefiresmayp~aya roletypefruit with atoughshell in eliminatingsomeof theirplantcontainingedibleseeds.)By far the competition.WhenthereISamostimportantof theseappeartobe columnof smoke,themacawsseemthe"Catole"and "Piacavaor tobeattractedandapparentlylikePiassava". thepartiallyroastednuts.PerhapsNoclaimsaremad~asto the theclearedareasmakeit easierto

accuracyof thespellmgof these find thenutswithouttheriskof

co~~onnamesn?rto taxonomic predationandper~apst~eroastinga~llittesof th~wnter. Many orburningmakesIt easiertogettodifferentspeciesof palmsarec~lled theseedin thenut. Apparentlytheby thesecommonn~mes.In this burningof anarea.to attr~~ttheareathegrowthhabitof these.later macawsis atechmqueutIlisedbytwois asubt~rraneantrunkwiththe tra ersfor years.frondsemergl.ngatgroundlevel.and Th~birdsfeedontheground~henutsgrowl

bngupona

dstlemS

llxI searchingfor thesefruitsalthoughmchesor soa ove2Toun eve. .

k thbelievethe"Catolel\'in thisareato theymayplC upone,tW?or reebeAttaleaexi ua(FieldGuideto nutsandfly to asurroundmgtreetoPalmsof thelmazonspage161) s~ella~d~atsame.Weo~servedandthe"PiacavaorPiassava"tobe birdspickingupnuts,flymgto a

"Jatoba"treeto shellandeat,andeatleavesof the"Jatoba"betweenbitesof thenuts.

CAMPROUTINE

Overthenextfive days,aportionofourgroupwouldgoto theblindeachdawntill middayandasecondshiftwouldgofrommiddayto dusk.Thefirst groupto theblindsawinexcessof sixtyHyacinthsandthenumberdeclinedoversucceedingdays,probablysecondaryto thefoottrafficbetweencampandtheblind.Otherswouldgobirding,drivein atrucktootherareasin thelocalitytoviewadditionalwildlife,eatandsleep.Holdingdownthehammockswas

atoughJobbutsomeonehadtodoit.Weweretoldsomeof thebirds

feedingattheblindhadflownsometwentymiles.At theblindsomemacawsclearlyknewwewerepresent.Oncetheystartedfeeding,theydidnotseemtobebotheredbycameranoise.Familygroupswouldcometo thefeedingsite,usuallywith oneandoccasionallytwooffspring.Oneparentwouldtypicallyremainhighin anearbytreewhiletheyoungsterswerecomingto thegroundto feed.Oneafternoonafterfeedingin anearby"Jatoba"tree,weobservedtwoadultscopulatingwithtwoyoungerbirdswatching.Latein theafternoonsthebirdswouldoftengatherin adistantbare-limbedtreebeforedepartingtheirseparatewaysto roost.

NESTSITES

Duringthenestingseason,themacawsutiliseholesandcavesinthecliffs overlookingthedryforest.Asthiswasnotthenestingseasonandtherewerenobirdstodisturb,theformertrappersdemonstratedhoweffortlesslytheycouldclimbthecliffsandinspectsomeof thenestsites.Onlyafewfromourgroupchosetodemonstratetheirathleticprowess.Nestcavesarequitevariablein size.Theentranceandcavesizevariesfromopeningsbig enoughtoaccommodateapersontocavesandentrancessosmallthemacawshavetobackin.

DISCUSSIONWITHTHEFORMERTRAPPERSTURNEDWARDENS

LourivalLimaisawellrespectedmanin hisvillage.Heownsland,cattle,vehicles,ahouseandhasseveralemployees.FormanyyearsLourivalmadeasubstantialportionof hisliving trappingandsellingpatTotsashadhisfatherbeforehim.Heindicatesbirdshavebeentrappedin thisareafor atleast50-60yearsandhehasbeentrappingsinceagenine. Hewould

Hyacinth nesting cliffs, with intrepid climber.

trapbirdsutilisingdifferentmethodsin areasseveraldaysawayaswellasharvestbabiesfromthenestcliffsnearhishome.Thefollowingisexcerptedfrom

notesfromconversationswithLorivalandoneof hisworkers,Raimondo,overseveraldays.Howoftendotheparentsfeedthe

babiesin thewild? Themalefeedsthefemalewithhatchlingsatleast3mealsperday.Thefemaledoesnotleavethenestfor tendaysorsoafterthebabiesareborn.Afterthatboththeparentsfeed.Bothparentsfly backto thenestsitewithhugepackedcrops.Howandwhatdidyoufeedthe

babiestakenfromthenests?Idealformulaconsistedof 50-

60%"Catole"nut,cornflour,milkandwater.Thetemperatureof theformulais slightlyabovebodytemperaturebutnottoohottoburn.Cannotbetoohotorcold.Dopairsreturnto thesamenest

siteyearafteryear?Yes,manypairsreturnto thesame

nestholeyearafteryear.Weknowbecauseof uniquecalls,behaviourbetweenbirdsandbehaviouraroundhumans.Somenestholesfail earlyanda

pairmighttry 3-4differentnestholeswithinakilometre.Do thebirdsexcavatetheholes?Somebirdsdoagoodportionof

theexcavation.Thecliffsareaformof sandstoneandthebirdsscourandchewin theircave.Wheredotheyroostat night(out

of thenestingseason)?Theyroostin palmtreesatnight.

Usuallyonepairsleepsin apalm,usuallyin thesametreenightafternight.Howlongdotheyoungstersstay

andfly withtheparents?At leastayear.At thecliffs

youngstersmaybeobservedwithparentsastheynest.Whendotheystartlaying?Earliest"egging"is inAugust.

BabiesareusuallypresentinOctober.Somebirdsarestill

Photo: L. Porter

"egging"in December.Whendotheyfledgeandwhendo

parentsstopfeeding?Theyusuallyfledgein Marchor

April andarefedfor atleast5monthsafterfledging.Birdsprobablyfledgeatthreeto fourmonths.Whatis theprimaryfood in nest

season?The"Catole"palmnutis the

primaryfoodin the"egging"season.Alsothe"Piassava"whichrequiresmorewater.Whendojuvenilesreachmaturity

andselectmates?Theyseemtobeatleastayearand

ahalfbeforereachingmaturity.Thentheytendtodisappearordisperse.Howfar fromthecliffsto the

feedingareas?Approximately30kilometres.Is theredominancebetweenpairs?Onlydominanceseemstobe

exhibitedatthenestsitearea.Fightingbetweenpairsfor nestsiteshasbeenobserved.In treesthebirdsmaydisplaceeachotherbut theyarenotreallyfighting.Howclosearenestholes?OnceobservedGreenwingand

Hyacinthpairthreemetersbetween

holes.ThereisaboutahundredmetersbetweentheclosestHyacinthnests.Theyhavealandingpatternto comeintothenestandit is

perceivedtobeapatternto avoidInterferencebetweennests.Is therea shortageofnestholes?No.Whatmakesthemostsuccessful

nestholes?Narrowentranceto nestsitewith

deephole- severalfeet.Withbabies,bothparentslandsimultaneously,oneentersandtheotherwatchesattheentrancefor 3-4minutes.Do hyacinthsnestinpalms?Havealwaysnestedin cliffs. If no

cliffs theyusepalms.NearBarrerrastheynestin Burritii palmsastherearenocliffs.Whataretheirpredators?Largebirdsof preycantakethe

babies.Whatis thecurrentincidenceof

trapping?Heardof someonetrappingabout8

hoursaway.SomeoneISbuyingandsendingout.Mentionedanothertownwheresomeonewasbuying.

HYACINTHNEEDS

Wecanprobablybestprotectthispopulationof HyacinthMacawsbysecuringalargeareaof habitatandprotectingthebirdsfrompoaching.Theareasin whichtheHyacinthsfeedandroostispoorandis usedprimarily for cattle.Landcanprobablybepurchasedforapproximately$15-$20peracrealthoughtheflight rangeof thesebirdsis sogreatthatalot of landwouldhaveto bepurchasedtobeeffective.Thegrowthof thosepalmsandothertreesuponwhichtheyfeedcouldbeencouraged.Cattleatlow densitycouldbepasturedonthislandwithoutdetrimentandcouldhelpoffsetthecostof protectingthearea.LandwouldneedtobeheldthroughaBrazilianNGO.Therewouldhave

tobestringentsafeguardsto assurethelong termuseof thelandforthebenefitof thebirds.WPThasfundedtheinitial formationof suchaBrazilianNGO(BioBrasil)althoughI havereceivednoconfirmationof theultimategovernmentapprovalof same.

ECOTOURISMANDTHEHYACINTHSITE?

Competitioniskeenfor touristsseekingwildlife. Easeof travel,excellentfood,andscenic

accommodationsarestandardforsafaritypetrips. Multiplespeciesofwildlife andotherattractionsarethenorm.

Althoughit wouldcertainlybepossibletobuildanairstripandlodgeononeof themesaswith aspectacularview,it wouldrequireconsiderableinvestment.Thereisadditionalwildlife in theareawhichcouldbeattracted.A beautifulvalleywith asmallriverisnearbyandhastourismpotential.At present,travelto thissiteis

quitetimeconsumingandit isdoubtfulthisareacancompeteforthetouristdollarexceptfor thefewdiehardHyacinthaficionados.I donotthinkit realistictoassumeecotourismtobeasignificantsourceof incomefor theprotectionof theHacinthswithoutmajorch~n.ges.OthersmayhavedifferentopInIOns.

CONCLUSION

Onapersonalnotethiswasawonderfultrip! ThankstoKayteefor puttingit togetherandinvitingus.Thepeopleatthesitecouldnothavebeennicer.Additionallyweenjoyedagreatgroupwith whichtosharetheexperience.I leftwith farbetterunderstandingof theenvironmentandagreaterappreciationfor thismagnificentparrot,theHyacinthMacaw.

A small group of hyacinths feeding. Photo: WR. Porter

3

The Status of Macawsby Rosemary LowSincethesecondissueofPsittaScene(January1990),inwhichwepublishedanarticleontheHyacinthine,macawshavefeaturedprominentlyin thepagesofthisjournal.Mostof thearticleshavefocusedonasinglespecies,andprovedveryenlightenmgtoourmembers.SevenyearslaterIt isperhapstimeto reviewthemacawsasawhole.Probablythebestknownandmostcharismaticgroupofparrotsin theworld,themacawsalwaysattractattention.Theyformerlydid sobecauseof theirflamboyantcolours,largesizeandmarkedintelligence.Todaytheyareattractingtheattentionofconservationists,fieldworkersandconcernedaviculturistsworld-wide.

RAINFORESTDWELLERS

Macawsarefoundin CentralandSouthAmerica.Theyareprimarilyrainforestdwellers.Becauseof theextentofdestructionof theirhabitatduringthepastthreeor fourdecades,therangesof all largemacawshavedeclinedandonlythetwospecieswith thelargestrangearenotyetthreatenedwIthextinction.Onlyin thepastdecadehavefieldstudiescommencedon

. mostspecies,sothatwearenowgaininga trueimpressionof theirdecline.

CAUSESOFDECLINE

Thedeclinehasbeenbroughtaboutby trappingfor internationaltrade,andbyhabitatdestruction.AccordingtoCharlesMunn,atrusteeofWPT-USA,whohasbeenworkingin theregiononmacawconservationfor morethantwentyyears,theAmazonbasin(aslargeasthe48lowerstatesof theUSA)hashaditsmacawpopulationsreducedoreliminatedby trappersin 50-60%of thishugeregion. In 1992theformerpresidentof thenowdefunctAssociationof BirdExportersofBoliviastatedthat500largemacawshadbeenexportedfromBoliviaeverytwoweeksfor 10years- thatis,approximately130,000macaws.Foreverybirdexportedaminimumof anothermacawdied(averyconservativeestimate),sothetotaltrappedislikely tohavebeenwell overamillionlargemacawsin tenyears.In 1984Boliviastoppedtheexporttradein birds.Mostcountrieswheremacawsoccurnolongerpermittheexportof birds,butillegaltrade,legalexportfromGuyana,and

trappingbynativesfor pets,foodandfeatherscontinues.

SMUGGLING

In Guatemala,for example,ScarletMacawsaretrappedandsmuggledintoMexico,thenceintotheUSA.Oneof theworstaspectsof thistradeis thattrappershackopennestsordestroytreesin anattemptto obtainyoungmacaws.Oneofthemostseriousproblemsfacingmostmacawsis shortageof nestsitesthusthismethodof collectionhasmuchmoreseriousconsequencesthantheremovalofthebirdsalone.Theothermajorproblemfacedbymacaws,in thecaseof certainspecieswhicharespecialistfeeders,is lossof theirfoodtrees.

BLUEAND YELLOWMACAWThebestknownmacawisundoubtedlytheBlueandYellowAra ararauna.Asit hasaverywiderange,fromPanama,overmostofthetropicalnorthernpartof SouthAmerica,it is still widelydistributedin thewild. It isextinctin coastalsouth-easternBrazil,wheremostof theforesthasbeendestroyed.It usedtobeimported,especiallyfromGuyana,in verylargenumbers.Today,moreBlueandYellowsarerearedin captivitythananyotherspecies.Thereshouldbeaworld-wideimportbanonwild-caughtararaunabecausethereis alreadyanexcessof captive-bredbirds.Thisispartlydueto thefactthatthismacawiseasytobreed,andto thegreatlyincreased.expertiseof breeders,andto thefactthatunlikeBudgerigars,forexample,thereis alimit to thenumberof householdswhichcankeepmacaws.Of all thelargemacaws,thisis theonemostoftenkeptasapet.Younghand-rearedbirdsmakewonderfullyaffectionatepetsfor thosewhocanspendmuchtimewiththem.However,generallyspeakingthelargemacawsarebestkeptin anaviarybecausetheydonotreceiveenoughexercisein thehome.

SCARLETMACAWTheScarletMacawAra macaohasalwaysbeenaverypopularaviarysubject,for its wonderfulplumage.However,its temperamentis notalwayssoappealmg.Generallyspeaking,araraunais muchmoresuitableasapet.Althoughthisspecieshasalargerange,from

. wild and captiveMexico,throughoutmostof tropicalSouthAmericaandasfar southasnorthernBoliviaandsouthernPeru,its rangehascontractedgreatlythiscentury,especiallyin CentralAmerica.Its rangethereisnowfragmentedanddiscontinuous.

EXTINCTIN SOMEPARTSIn CostaRicait is almostextinctexceptin theCorcovadoNationalPark,yetit isconsideredtobeagreattouristattraction.In ElSalvadorit is alreadyextinctandinMexicomuchof its formerhabitathasbeendestroyed.A seriousproblemit hasto faceis thatofbeinghuntedfor feathers.Therehasbeenlocaltradein tail feathersdatingbackcenturies,in Panamaandmostof thecountriesof SouthandCentralAmerica.Theproblemhasnoteasedin recentyearsasAztecdancersfromMexicointraditionaldress,tourtheUSA.Theirhead-dressescontainabout70tail feathersof largemacaws,nearlyall frommacao,andsomefrommilitaris.In theUK andseveralothercountries,tail feathersfrommoultedcaptivebirdshavebeencollectedbybreedersfor someyears,andsenttoarepresentativewhosendsthemtoPanama.CITESpermitsareneeded,asfor live birds,thushavinganationalrepresentativewhocollectsthefeathersis themosteffectivemethod.

TARGETFORTRAPPERS

AlthoughAra macaowasplacedon

AppendixI of CITESin 1985,whIchshouldhavestoppedtradeinwild-caughtbirds,illegaltradecontinues.In Guatemala,wherelargeareasof suitablehabitatforthismacawhavesurvived,theScarletMacawhasbeenatargetforillegaltrapperswhosmugglebirdsintoMexico,thenceintotheUSA.A rehabilitationcentreexiststhere.Confiscatedbirdsarerehabilitated,eitherfor breedingor for release.AlthoughtherearemanyScarlet

Macawsin captivity,a largeproportionhaveneverreproduced.Thisfactbecameknownwhenastudbookwasmaintained.Wemustnotbetoocomplacentaboutthismacawin aviculture.Althoughitmayappearcommon,it is animportantspecieswhichdeservestheattentionof seriousaviculturists.

GREEN-WINGEDMACAW

TheGreen-wingedMacaw(Arachloroptera)hasneverbeenaspopularastheScarletMacaw,yetitISawonderfulaviarybird.Hand-rearedyoungaregentleandsensitive.Therangeof thisspecies,althoughstill extensive,isdeclining- butit is notyetonAppendixI ofCITES.It isalreadyextmctinArgentinaandin south-easternBrazil,extinctin partsof Boliviaandrarein easternEcuadorandeasternPeru.Habitatdestructionistoblamefor localextinctions.Wild-caughtbirdswerenoteasyto

breedandthemythgrewthattheGreenwingedMacawhadtobe

Free flying ScarletMacaw at ParadisePark, OK.

7

Red-frontedMacaw.

eightyearsoldbeforeit wassexuallymature.Thisisuntrue;captive-bredbirdshaverearedyoungasearly asthreeyearsold.

MILITARYMACAW

TheMilitaryMacawAm militarisisoneof onlytwolargemacawswhicharegreen.TheotherisBuffon'sMacawAm ambigua.Muchconfusionexistsregardingtheiridentification.Buffon'sMacawissubstantiallylargerbutthethreefeatureswhichidentifyit easilyaretheyellowgreenshade(darkerinmilitaris),thelargerbeakinproportionto thehead,andthecolourof thetail feathers.Thelongfeathersarebrown-redin militarisandorange-redin ambigua.TheMilitaryMacawisprimarily a

montanespecies;it is foundinMexico,Colombia,westernVenezuelaandthenorthern-centralpartof Ecuador.Therearealsopopulationsin PeruandBolivia.

BUFFON'SMACAW

In contrast,Buffon'sMacawis abirdof thelowlands.It is foundinCentralAmerica,in Honduras,throughNicaraguaandCostaRicatoPanama,andasmallregioninColombia.A separatesub-species,guayaquilensis,is foundin south-westernEcuador,in Quayaquil.Thispopulationmaybeassmallas20or30birds,accordingto fieldresearchersfromtheUniversityofAmsterdam,whostudiedit in 1995.In 1994onepairfledgedtwochicks,in theCerroBlancoreserve,thanksto24hoursurveillancebyguards,topreventthenestbeingrobbed.In1995thenesttreefell down,duetodestructionbytermites.Twoartificialnestswereconstructedbut,soonafter,themacawsleft thearea.Somemonthslatertheareawasravagedbyforestfires.Thesearelitdeliberatelybysettlers,in ordertoclearthelandandclaimit.Aroundthereserve,agriculturehas

8

Photo: Keith Ewart Blue-headedMacaw.

increased,mainlygrowingcorn.Thesearejust someof theproblemsthefew survivingmacawshavetoface.

BUFFON'SRAREINAVICULTURE

It hasalwaysbeenrarein aviculturebutits numbersaregrowingslowly,dueto increasedbreedingsuccess.Tome,thisis undoubtedlythemostmagnificentof theAramacaws.It isamajesticbird.It is alsotheAraspecieswhichshouldreceivemoreattentionfromaviculturiststhananyother.I wouldurgethoseof youwhoownit to doeverythingpossibleto initiatebreedingsuccess.Alsotojoin thestudbook.Thestudbookco-ordinatorisMartinaMulleratVogelparkWalsrode.

M ILITARY MACAWISALSOENDANGEREDAs alreadymentioned,theMilitaryMacawhasalargerange.Unfortunately,itshabitatis sofragmentedby deforestationthatit,too,is endangered.Largemacawsneedlargeareasof forestin whichto forage.It wasplacedonAppendix1of CITESin 1987.Beforethis,therewaslittle interestin it fromaviculturists.In theUSAit wascommonandinexpensive,dueto thenumberof birdssmuggledfromMexicobutit hadrarelybeenbred.Nowthesituationis differentandmanypairsarereproducing,thereandin Europe.Conservation-mindedmacawbreedersshouldensurethatthisspeciesis in theircollection.RED-FRONTEDMACAW

TheRed-frontedAm rubrogenysisadistinctivemacaw.In sizeit isabout60cm- midwaybetweenthelargemacawsalreadydescribed,andthesmallspecies.A mountainspeciesfromsouth-centralBolivia,it isaveryhardybird.Unknownincaptivityuntil 1973,it hasneverbeencommon.It is surprisingthatit

Photo:WPTItaly Buffon'sMacaw. Photo:MikeReynolds

hasnotbecomebetterknown cou/aniwasthelastspeciesofbecauseit canbeextremelyprolific. macawto becomeavailableinThisfactand its smallersize, aviculture.It comesfromPeruandshouldmakeit anidealaviarybird. adjoiningnorth-westernBolivia,Unfortunately,however,feather fromlow elevationsupto 1,300m,pluckingis extremelycommon, andis notknownto bethreatened.certainlyin wild-caughtbirds. Sincetheearly1990sthismacawBecauseit hassuchasmallrangein hasbeentakenillegallyintoeasternBolivia,it is of specialconservation Europeancountries.Thereareainterestandshouldbekeptandbred numberof pairsin SouthAfricaandby all seriousmacawsbreeders.It lastyeartwopairswhichwerewasplacedonAppendix1of confiscatedin EuropewereCITESin 1983. presentedtoLoroParqueinUnliketheothermacaws,it hasa Tenerife.LastyearAm cou/aniwaswell markedjuvenileplumage.The bredin theCzechRepublic,anditredfeathersontheforeheaddonot mayalreadyhavebeenrearedappearuntil theageof aboutnine elsewhere.Theappearanceof thismonths.Youngbirdshaveabrown speciesis interesting.Thebeakfrontalbandandasmallredpatch colourandeyesarereminiscentofontheearcoverts.Adultbirdsare thoseof Spix'sMacaw.verybeautifulwhentheyareingoodfeather.

THESMALLMACAWS

Nowwecometo thegroupgenerallyknownasthesmallmacaws.TheSevereMacawArasevemisabout50cmin length.Ithasaverywiderangein northernSouthAmerica,fromVenezuelatosouth-westernBrazil,andisbelievedtohaveastablepopulationin mostareas.CommonlykeptintheUSA,it is lessnumerousinEuropebutrearedin anumberofcollections.

RED-BELLIEDMACAWTheRed-belliedMacawAramanilatawill neverbeapopularaviculturalsubject.It is toonervousto makeagoodpetandveryproneto obesityif closelyconfined.Fewbreedingsuccesseshaveoccurred.Ithasaverywiderangein northernSouthAmericaandISnotknowntobethreatened.Therefore,andbecauseit is seldomlong-lived,Ifeelthatthisspeciesshouldnotbetrapped.In anycase,thereis littleinterestin it.

BLUE-HEADEDMACAWTheCoulon'sorBlue-headedAm

SMALLESTMACAWS

Theremainingthreearethesmallestmacaws:Illiger'sAm mamcana,theYellow-collaredAm auricallisandHahn'sAm ar Diapsittacanabilisnabilis.Theyarequitepopularinavicultureastheyarefree-breeding,playfulandintelligent.Theymakeexcellentpetsbuttheirvoicescanbequiteloud.TheIlliger'sis ofconservationinterestandwasplacedonAppendix1of CITESin 1989.Duetodeforestationit isnowveryrarein south-easternBrazilbutalsooccursin someareasofArgentinaandParaguay.It is therarestof thethreein aviculture,althoughit canbeamazinglyprolific.

YELLOW-COLLAREDMACAWTheYellow-collaredcomesfromBoliviaandisalsofoundinadjoiningBrazil,ParaguayandArgentina.Little isknownaboutitsstatusin thewild; it is still commonin somepartsof its range.Thisis anidealspeciesfor beginnerswithmacaws,breedersorpetowners.

HAHN'SMACAWThesmallestofallmacawsistheHahn's,measuring31cmand

weighingabout165g.It comesfromVenezuela,Guyanaandnorth-easternBrazil.It is theleastexpensiveof themacawsandreadilyavailable.Theslightlylargersub-species,theNobleMacawD.n.nobilisisuncommoninavicultureasitsrangecoversBrazil(fromwhich nobirdshavebeenlegallyexportedfor 30years)andasmallpartof Peru.Nothreatsareknowntoeithersub-speciesin thewild.

HYACINTHINEMACAWThebluemacawsarearemarkablegroupofbirds.Unfortunately,theirbeautyhasbeentheirdownfall.TheHyacinthineAnodorhynchushyacinthinusmightbecalledthekingof themacaws.It is thelargestandthemostspectacular.Andit hassufferedterriblyatthehandof man.SomanybirdsweretrappedinBrazilfor internationaltradein the1970sthatdealersin Europehadproblemsin sellingthem.It wassheergreed- notdemand.Asaresult,anareaof about100,000sq.miles(259,000sq.km)of theBrazilianPantanalhasintacthabitatfor thisspeciesbut,accordingtoCharlesMunn,only20-30%of theareastill holdsHyacinthineMacaws.Unfortunately,thesebirdsaresoeasyto trapthattrapperswouldwipeoutlocalpopulationsinasingleday.BecauseexportingthemfromBrazilwasillegal,thetrappedbirdswouldbesmuggledintoArgentina(whereit doesnotoccur)orParaguay(whereit hasaverysmallseasonalrange).Ranchownersin BrazilnowprotectanyHyacinthinesontheirproperties.Indeed,someranchesfortunateenoughtohavethesebirds usethemasatouristattractionandhavebuiltguesthousesfor tourists.Insomecasesthisismorelucrativethanfarmingbecausethismacawissohighonthelist of wildlifeattractions.UnliketheAramacaws,thisisnotarainforestspeciesandiseasilyviewed.It livesin semi-openareasandfeedsonthenutsofpalmtrees.

BREEDING

AviculturistsmustcarefullyguardtheHyacinthineMacawsin theircare,dotheirutmosttoencouragethemtobreedandpartwiththeyoungin aresponsIblemanner.IntheUSAsomebreederspromotetheyoungastheultimatestatussymbol.ThisIShighlyirresponsiblesinceveryfewpeoplehavethetimeorthetemperamentor theunderstandingnecessaryto lookafterahand-rearedbird.Theyareextremelydemandingandsensitive

creatures.Thereisa limit to thenumberof peoplewhocanhousebreedingpairs,thusthismacawwillneverbecommonin aviculturethoughit will alwaysbewellrepresented.Thepriorityshouldbetoencourageall wild-caughtbirdstobreed,tocontributeto thegenepool.Onlyaverysmallpercentageof thosetakenfromthewild havedoneso,evenalthoughbreedingsuccessesarenownumerous.Butmanypairsarebadlyaccommodatedin smallsuspendedcages- aninsultto suchalargeandmagnificentbird.

LEAR'SMACAW

Lear'sMacawAnodorhynchusleariis smallerandverymuchrarer.Itshabitatin north-easternBrazilwasnotdiscovereduntil 1978.TheornithologistHelmutSickhadbeensearchingfor it for 14years.Hefoundapopulationof justover100birds.Despitetheremoteandinhosritableareain whichit lives,illega trappingis occurring.In 1995it wases!lmatedthatduringtheprevioustwoto threeyears,20ofthe117birdsknownhadbeencaughtandsoldtosmugglers.InJunelastyeartwoyoungLear'swereseizedfromaSingaporenationalatanairportin France,andconfiscated.ThesearenottheonlyillegalbirdstohaveturnedupinEuropein recentyears.A numberarebelievedtobein easternEuropeancountriesandGulf states.Dueto theirhighpriceandillegalorigin,theyaremorelikely tobeboughtby collectorsthanaviculturists.Theirwhereaboutsmayneverbediscovered.Therearenoknownbreedingpairsincaptivityatthepresenttimeandtheonlylegalisedpairwasstolenin theUK in Decemberlastyear.SeveralyearsagoasecondsmallpopulatlOn,consistingof 22birds,wasfoundin Brazil.Astheareaisonewheremarijuanais grown,thetrapperswill beafraidto gothere.Thefutureof thiscriticallyendangeredmacawishighlyuncertain.It is atragedythatnoeffectivewayhasyetbeenfoundtoprotectthemainpopulation.Ifenoughfundswereavailable,thiscouldbedone.

SPIX'SMACAW

Finally,thesadstoryof themacawwhichby 1988hadawildpopulationof asingleknownbird:Spix'sCyanopsittaspixii.Its smallpopulationwasalmosttrappedtoextinction.In recentyears,thedevelopmentshavereceivedmorecoveragein theworld'spressthanprobablyanybirdin existence.Fortunately,thecaptivepopulation

of over30birdsis increasingannually.Legalexportof thisspecieshasnotoccurredfor severaldecades;whentheoriginalamnestywasdeclaredby theBrazilianGovernmentin thelate1980s,fourholdersof thisspeciesdeclaredtheirbirds.A recentamnestyendedonOctober1 1996.Anyonesubsequentlyfoundwith Spix'sMacaws,otherthanthosewhohavedeclaredthem,areliabletoprosecution.Of all themacaws,I believethat

Lear'sis in greatestdangerofextinction.All theotherendangeredspecies,evenSpix's,will surviveincaptivityevenalthoughtheyeventuallybecomeextinctin thewild.Thedeclineof themacawsisasadindictmentof man'srecklessuseof forestsandwildlife.In thespanof 50years,agroupof parrotswhichcontainssomeofthe mostspectacularbirdsin theworld,hasgonefromcommonto threatened,endangeredorcriticallyendangered.A numberof specieshavebeenstudiedin thefield overthepastdecade,resultingin actions,suchasprovisionof nestsites,whichwillhelpto assisttheirsurvival.Butthelargeflocksof evenhalfacenturyagoaregoneforever.

INADEQUATELYHOUSEDAlthoughmostmacawspeciesareverywell establishedin aviculture,thetrendtowardssmallaviariesorevencagesfor breedingpairsmeansthata largeproportionof macawsareinadequatelyhoused.Fortunately,thisis lessoftenthecasein Europe,butin theUSAevenpairsof thelargestmacawsseldomhaveacagelargerthan2.4m(8 ft)

long.Tomethisis unthinkable.Thelargemacawshaveawingspanof90cm(3 ft) ormoreyetmanypairsarekeptin cagesonly l.2m wideandhighandnomorethan3m(10ft) long.Thisis thefarmingconceptwherenothoughtis givento thequalityof life of thebirds.Asamatterof fact,macawslike ahighaviary,4.5mhighandatleast6m(20ft) long.Theylookmagnificentin flight,enjoylife andbreedwellbecausetheyfeelsecureatthatheight.Theownercantakegreatpridein macawskeptin thisway.Thereisnosatisfaction,exceptpossiblyfinancial,in thosekeptinsmallall-wirecages.Surelyit isbettertokeeponepairwell,thanseveralpairsin conditionswhicharetheequivalentof apetBudgerigarin asmallcageof thetypesoldinpetstores.Macawsareexceptionally

intelligentcreatures.Somanyarecondemnedtoaprison-likeexistence,presumablybecauseit isexpensivetobuildrealaviaries.Yetthecostissmall whenoneconsidersthehighreturnmanybreedersgainby continuallyremovingeggs.In additionto themoralissue,I believethatoverthecourseof severalgenerationsofbirdsbredin suchcages,smalldegenerateyoungwill beproduced.Themacawis oneof nature'smostmagnificentcreations.Weshoulddeemit aprivilegetohavesuchbirdsin ourcare.Wemustensurethatthebirdswebreedaretheequalin sizeandappearanceto theirwild-caughtparentsorancestors.Ifwecannotdothis,weshouldkeepAratingasinstead.

Lear's Macaw.One of the two femalesheld at Busch Gardens,Florida.

Photo: Mike Reynolds

9

UYACINTU MACAWAnodo rhynehus hyacin th in us

In thisissueof PsittaScenewehavehada lot to sayaboutthisextraordinaryparrot,bothin thewild andin captivity.Thissuperbshotof amacawenjoyinghisfavouritepalmnutwastakenby RichardPorteronhisrecentvisit toPiaui.Seehisreportonpages1to 3of thisissue.

TheHyacinthMacawwill alwaysbeafocusof attention,dueto itsphenomenalbeautyanduniquecharacter.Truly,thisbirdis its ownworstenemy.In captivityit attractsmoreattentionthananyotherparrot,first, becauseayounghandraisedbirdmakesamostamiablepetorcompanion(providedit canbegivenasmuchcare,timeandconsiderationasahumaninfant),andsecond,becauseit hasahighfinancialvalue.

In thewild,withperhaps3,000ormoreHyacinthsstill existingin threeor fourlocations,thespecieshasareasonablechanceof sustainingitselfoverthenexttwentyyearsor more. It is still beingpoached,butmoreandmoreeffortisbeingput into its protection.Since1990,the World ParrotTrust has raisedsubstantialamountsthroughits'HYACINTHFUND',andusedthistosupporttheworkof Dr.CharlesA. MunnIII in Brazil.

Youcanhelptheeffortto savetheHyacinthMacaw.A smallnumberof thespectacularlimitededitionprint 'TheNoblestofThem All' by Nicholasstill remain to be sold,andthey arenow availableat BOor $50includingpostage.Pleasesendyourchequeor creditcarddetailsto theUK addressof theTrust,andwewill do therest. If youdon'twanttheprint,achequemadeoutto 'WorldParrotTrustHyacinthFund'wouldbeverywelcome.

..the

HYACINTHFUN D

16 Printed by Brewers of Helston (01326) 558000

....