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"Scarlet macaws eating clay."
"Range of the scarlet macaw."
Do Parrots Spread Seeds?
Instead of spreading or dispersing seed like many mammals and birds, parrots are seed predators. Seed predators are animals that eat and destroy seeds rather than eating the fruit and leaving the seeds. Seed dispersing animals do not harm the seeds inside fruit and move the seeds away from its parent tree, dispersing or spreading seeds that may germinate into new trees. Parrots play a different, but still important, role in the ecosystem. By eating and destroying seeds, parrots limit the number of seeds that can germinate into new trees and plants.
NESTING NEWS - June 2000
The Scarlet Macaw project, under sponsorship from Wildlife Trust, is progressing well. We are monitoring 4 nests this year. All appear to have fledged successfully. Also of importance, we documented the trans-migration of the scarlet macaw in March. These birds most definitely fly from the western flanks of the Maya Mountains, congregating within the southern Maya Mts to forage for food, then returning to the Raspaculo River valley. This interconnectivity between one side of the Maya Divide and the other appears to be vital towards their survival; the western portion is currently under threat by a hydro-project, which I am on the forefront in opposition. The data we have obtained since 1998 has caused many to seriously consider the implications of the dam project.
- Sharon Matola, Belize Zoo
Read more...
Dam Threatens Belize Habitat of Endangered Scarlet Macaw
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Scarlet Macaw
(Ara macao)
This page is also available in Spanish: La Guacamaya Roja en Español and Portuguese: Arara Vermelha.
Scarlet macaws are large colorful parrots that live in Central and South America. Some scientists think that the scarlet macaws found in Central America, called Ara macao cyanoptera, are a different subspecies from those found in Brazil, called Ara macao macao. A subspecies is a group of animals that is very similar to, but slightly different from, other animals within the same species. The South American scarlet macaw is a red and yellow bird with white patches on its face and green feathers on its wings. The Central American scarlet macaw is also red and yellow with white patches on its face, but is larger and has blue on its wings instead of green. The Central American scarlet macaw is found in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, while the South American scarlet macaw is found in Columbia, Equador, Peru and Brazil.
Other scientists think that there should only be one species of scarlet macaw called Ara macao. They think that there are not enough differences between the South American and Central American scarlet macaws to make them separate subspecies. Scientists are now using genetic analysis and other scientific methods to try to answer this question.
Scarlet macaws prefer undisturbed rainforest. They eat fruits, nuts, flowers and nectar, and they often eat unripe fruit and nuts that other animals avoid. These macaws also eat clay from river banks. No one is sure why they do this, but the clay seems to be important to them. One hypothesis is that the clay helps the parrots to digest poisonous chemicals found in the unripe fruit they eat.
A pair of scarlet macaws raises one or two young each season in a tree cavity nest. The young birds often stay with their parents for up to two years. The adult parrots will not rear another clutch until the young leave the nest. As a result, the number of macaws increases slowly.
Deforestation has had a big impact on the scarlet macaws. Without their natural habitat, they stop building nests and producing young, and can have difficulty finding enough to eat. Unfortunately, deforestation can be hard to stop because people need land to grow food. A lot of scarlet macaws have been taken from the wild to be sold as pets. Scientists are studying how Scarlet Macaws live. By understanding this, we can figure out how best to conserve this beautiful bird.
More About Macaws:
More About Parrots:
©2000
The Wild Ones
c/o Wildlife Trust
61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964-8000
Tel: 845.365.8337 Fax: 845.365.8177