Great Green Macaw

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Description

The great green macaw is arguably the most spectacular bird at Selva Verde. At almost 32 inches in total length and weighing close to three pounds, it is the 2nd-largest New World parrot. It is easily recognized by its robust body and long tail. It has an extraordinarily powerful bill and dexterous toes that grasp food items that are being eaten.

Unfortunately, despite its iconic status, the future of the great green macaw in Costa Rica is precarious. In 2006, it was listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and since then its numbers have continued to decline. At present, it is believed there are no more than 200 in Costa Rica; the breeding population is roughly 35 pairs. Selva Verde is on the edge of the range of the last remaining population in Costa Rica; none of the approximately 20 known active nests are in the Sarapiquí zone, where Selva Verde is located.

But, macaws regularly forage at Selva Verde, especially in the upper forest canopy along the Hill Trail. Great green macaws feed almost exclusively on the almonds of the almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis). A recent 7-year study in the Sarapiquí area confirms that almond trees are absolutely critical to the macaws; almonds comprise over 95 percent of their diet. Alternative foods are eaten, but reluctantly.

The diet of this macaw is so specific that researchers confirm foraging macaws exclusively target certain individual mature trees whose almonds are the most nutritious. These key trees are critical to macaw survival.  Chronology of the almond ripening process determines macaw movements, and often the birds move great distances between roosting and foraging sites.