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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Buffon's
macaw, great green macaw |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Psittaciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Psittacidae
(true parrots) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ara
(macaw) ambigua |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
Buffon's macaw is a large parrot with a mostly yellowish-green
body, scarlet forehead and deep blue shoulders.
The top of the tail is red tipped with blue. Like
other macaws, this bird also has a strongly hooked
beak and zygodactylous feet (2 toes that point forward
and 2 toes that point backward). |
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| SIZE: |
65-85
cm (26-34 in.); wingspan 110-125 cm (44-50 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
1200-1600
g (2.7-3.5 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; chicks then remain with parents for up
to 1 year |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2-4 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
80
years or more |
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| RANGE: |
Sporadic
distribution throughout eastern Honduras to western
Colombia |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
deep canyons, dry plateaus, nest mainly on cliffs,
ledges, and rock faces |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Estimated
2,500-10,000 |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Vulnerable |
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| 1. |
Macaws
are often monogamous, remaining bonded for life. |
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| 2. |
In the wild, macaws often flock to mountains of
clay known as 'macaw licks'. |
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| 3. |
When disturbed, these bright birds screech loudly
and circle overhead with their long tails streaming. |
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| 4. |
Macaws
are playful and inquisitive and are able to mimic
human vocalizations very well. |
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| 5. |
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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| 6. |
Macaws
are able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. |
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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.
Buffon's
are endangered primarily because of illegal pet
trade and habitat loss. Bird collectors pay thousands
of dollars per bird. Smugglers take the eggs or
young birds and sell them to exotic pet stores
in the United States.
The
main threat is habitat loss. These birds nest
in the cavities of almendro trees and feed almost
exclusively on this tree's fruit. Unfortunately,
this tree is becoming increasingly popular in
the logging industry. It is estimated that only
30 breeding pairs remain in the wild in Costa
Rica.
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.
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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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/search/simple/ |
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| http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html |
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| http://www.nwf.org/wildalive/macaw/ |
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