Scarlet Macaw

The scarlet macaw can grow up to thirty-two inches long, weighs 2.2 pounds, and has a wingspan of 15-17 inches long ("Scarlet Macaw" Encyclopedia of Animals) ("Scarlet Macaws Stalked by Wildlife Traffickers in Guatema''). The adults have light yellow eyes, while the chicks have a more gray eye color. They have an off-white featherless face with a bright red body and blue and yellow feathered wings (''Scarlet Macaws." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Macaws have flexible feet to help them control their food and balance on branches ("Scarlet Macaw" Encyclopedia of Animals Science Reference Center).

The species used to roam from northern Central America to the bottoms of South America; however, they live mostly in South America now and have entirely disappeared from El Salvador ("Scarlet Macaw" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The scarlet macaw is now native only to the evergreen forests in Central and South America, mainly in Amazonian Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru ("Scarlet Macaw" Encyclopedia of Animals. Science Reference Center). Throughout Central America, approximately fewer than 1,500 scarlet macaws remain, and about 500 of them live in the La Moskitia region ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The species prefers to live in the rainforests near the rivers.

T he bird spends most of its time eating or resting in the branches of the rainforest canopy. They are primarily vegetarian, as their diet consists of nuts, berries, seeds, and leaves, but they do occasionally feed on insects. Their strong hooked-shaped beaks allow for easy breaking of the nuts and seeds. Their beaks are also used as climbing aids. The fruit the bird eats is toxic and deadly to most animals. They can eat these poisonous fruits because of the large amounts of clay on the riverbanks they consume, which helps their digestion of the toxic plants, neutralizing the plant's poison ("Scarlet Macaw" Rainforest Alliance).

Scarlet macaws are very social parrots and rarely travel alone. They live in families or pairs ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Their flocks consist of about 20 birds. In and around Panama, the birds breed from January to April; however, those near Brazil nest and breed from October to March. The regions with humid climates allow for a year-round breeding time. The bird nests in the holes of the canopy trees anywhere from 30 to 130 feet above the ground and is large enough for both parents and 1-2 eggs or chicks. Nests are sometimes used for more than one breeding season ("Scarlet Macaw" Encyclopedia of Animals). The chicks flee from the nest after three to four months; however, they stay close to their parents to learn to survive in the forest ("Scarlet Macaw" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The bird can live to be around eighty when in human care. In the wild, they live to approximately forty to fifty years old ("Scarlet Macaw." Encyclopedia of Animals). The birds have many communication cues. Their harsh "rrhh" signifies danger and can be heard by other birds from a few miles away ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Why Are Scarlet Macaws Endangered?

1. Deforestation & Habitat Loss

Deforestation has caused a large percentage of the parrots' decline, as the species depends on the trees for food and nesting. Deforestation results from rainforest conversion to agriculture fields, wood extractions, and urbanization. As the rainforest land shrinks so does the population size of macaws ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

2. Cultural Reasons

The species has close links to the Mayan culture and other art and cultural spirits, dating back to as early as 900 CE. The macaw's feathers were used for ceremonial garments in communities across Mexico and New Mexico. In these regions, there were even breeding centers to harvest more feathers, which ended in more scarlet macaw deaths ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

3. Trafficking

Pet trade is a significant threat to the scarlet macaws. The majestic bird is captured from the wild in large populations to sell in the illegal pet trade, disregarding national and international laws. With the parrots' low reproduction rate, they have a difficult time increasing the population quickly, and with the demand for scarlet macaws reaching high levels, they continue to suffer a steep decline ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The birds are stolen from their nests, mainly in Costa Rica and sold on the black market for around $200. Baby parrots are constantly being smuggled into the U.S. and being sold for as much as $4,000 ("Scarlet Macaw" Rainforest Alliance).

In 2015, Guatemalan vice president Roxana Baldetti was arrested after investigators discovered two scarlet macaws in her home. When environmental officers arrived at the scene to rescue the birds, they were surprisingly already taken out and were never seen after that. In 2018, she was convicted of corruption, faced several charges, and was sentenced to fifteen and a half years in prison. They discovered the macaws were acquired from a middle man who got them from traffickers who removed the chicks directly from their nests. These specific traffickers have been responsible for 70% of the illegal capture and trafficking of scarlet macaws in Guatemala. A large problem with trafficking transport is that 8 out of 10 birds die during the process.

Many other officials have been found in illegal possession of species in their homes as well. Diego Thomas Giesemann Widwann, a National Council of Protected Areas official, was arrested for possessing thirty-one specimens of endangered animals in his home, one being a scarlet macaw (Scarlet Macaws Stalked by Wildlife Traffickers in Guatemala).

Why Are Scarlet Macaws Important?

Tourists bring around $14,000 a year, as people love to see the beautiful macaws in the wild. To keep the local communities out of severe poverty, they need this revenue, and saving the scarlet macaws will also help protect their communities ("Scarlet Macaw" Rainforest Alliance).

The programs for the macaws have been very successful and have benefited the local communities. Most communities are now against poaching and see the positives of the animal. With a new fifty hectares of land carrying native trees and plants, the macaws are benefiting and this landscape also creates future economic value to the small communities with forest products and potential ecotourism. The project also includes programs to train the local communities in beekeeping and farming skills to add to their revenue and reduce the destruction of the environment ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Change

The scarlet macaws do not nest close to one another, requiring patrols and searching for long trips to find and monitor the birds. Researchers are forced to climb the tall trees to inspect the nest and account for the eggs and chicks. Researchers have started to install artificial nests to protect them from prey. Africanized bees are dangerously swarming around the nest, which researchers have started to remove. Researchers now examine the wild parrots, checking in to make sure they are healthy. This has become a more repeated routine to try and slow their rapid population decline. Conservations have installed hidden cameras to detect nest thieves and poachers and have captured many armed hunters this way. In 2017, five chicks were stolen from their nest after shooting down the camera (Scarlet Macaws Stalked by Wildlife Traffickers in Guatemala).

In the Moskita region of Honduras, traffickers continue to hunt scarlet macaw chicks and eggs to sell. To stop the traffickers, brave local community members have joined together to protect and control the species' nests—the U.S. The Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs Central America Program, with support from INCIPIO, One Earth Conservation, and local communities, set up the patrol teams and protect the birds, reducing the number of eggs and chicks poached about 80% from when the project first started ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

In 2019, the species was put under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. Through the conservation laws and international agreements, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Wild Bird Conservation Act have helped preserve the population and habitats. A rescue center for confiscated birds was established in 2010 in Mabita and Rus Rus Rus's communities, after implementing patrol protection and prevention monitors that continue today.

Awareness is also a large part of helping the species. In 2019, Poachers and Protectors: The Story of Scarlet Macaws in Honduras was premiered, produced by Christi Lowe Productions premiered at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nationâls Capital, helping educate the viewer on the dangers the species is facing. The film was selected to play at many other film festivals, including the 2019 Reedy Reels Film Festival, and there was awarded the Best Wildlife Conservation Film

In 2013, the Bosque Antiguo AC organizations and their partners started the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve with hopes of creating a self-sustaining macaw population of 500 birds by 2026, as the population now at 250 scarlet macaws, located in two isolated areas. With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services supporting the projects with many grants, 132 macaws were reintroduced into the reserve to boost the population further. The birds are monitored as they learn to survive. These groups of birds have a high survival rate of 85%. In 2018, the first scarlet macaw chick hatched in the wild in Mexico in approximately 50 years ("Scarlet Macaws" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Donate:

https://www.wcs.org/our-work/species/scarlet-macaws

Artist Statement

The scarlet macaw construction technique was similar to that of the cardboard lion; however, the difference in material texture, thickness, and color forced me to rethink the lion design. I hope people will notice the distinctions and parallels between the paper-layered macaws and the cardboard lion. With the many different coordinating colors, this laying project was a lot of fun to make. The parts were fastened together and layered with sticky foam. The minor cuts took time to produce, but the attention to detail was well worth it. From the side, you can see the project's construction and stacking operations. I like the finished designs because it stands out and i hope it captures people’s attention.