identification of other important tree species, including Sacoglottis trichogyna. To measure seasonal change in canopy fruit Raising funds for the production, monthly counts of fruit and flowers on individually marked tr ees were conducted. The macaws usually nest between Januar y and May and their young are fed primarily on the fruits of Gr eat Green Macaw Dipteryx and Sacoglottis. by ROSEMARY LOW The Great Green or Buf fon's (Ara ambigua) is perhaps the most majestic of all macaws. Only the Hyacinthine is Identifying priority larger and is generally considered to be the most beautiful and striking; in behaviour it might be described as areas clown-like. The demeanour of the Great Green is quite different. It is a regal bird. Identification of the most critical Generally speaking, it has failed species. Yet much has been made population, diet and movements habitats for the macaws was to attract much attention from of the decline of the red macaw. (migration). based on four key factors: density aviculturists or from those of nests, distribution of each of concerned with par rot research In Costa Rica Telemetry the two main sources of food (the and conservation. If its plumage trees mentioned above) and It is not always realised how small The study centred around the use quality of the remaining forest had been blue, instead of green, are the countries of Central of radio telemetr y methods to this would have been a totally habitat. In this way the areas America. For example, at less than deter mine the home ranges and which should be given priority for different story. I would not now 20,000 sq miles (51,000 sq km) habitat use by the macaws and be writing this article which is a the conservation of the Great Costa Rica is about two and a half the fruiting phenology of tree Green Macaw were identified. plea to help the Great Green times the size of Wales. However, species used as food. The location Macaw before it’s too late. The researchers determined that the macaw's range there covers of nests and the movements of the cur rent breeding range of this Range only a small area, although it was radio-tagged birds defined the macaw in Costa Rica is restricted once found over about one third study area in northern Costa Rica, to an area of about 1,120 sq km in Compared with other large of the north-eastern part of the just south of the border with the northern zone, the last macaws, only Lear's and the Blue- country. Nicaragua. The study area was r emaining forest of its kind in the throated have smaller ranges. The expanded during the non- countr y. It is marked by the Great Gr een's range has been Ground-breaking breeding season when most of the presence of large almendro trees. contracting with alarming speed macaw families migrated out of (Unfor tunately, this tree is now in recent years. Because this research the br eeding range, mostly north one of Costa Rica's primary species needs to forage over large Research on La Lapa Verde, as this into Nicaragua. sources of hardwood for flooring areas and so much forest has macaw is known in Costa Rica, A macaw-proof transmitter was and for truck bodies). The been destroyed within its range, commenced in 1993. One of those tested on captive birds, then the r esearchers pr opose that two leaving mainly fragmented areas, who initiated it was Dr George equipment was fitted to several priority areas should be given the it is now endangered and listed Powell, a respected and life-long wild Great Green Macaws. Some strictest pr otection. They should on Appendix 1 of CITES. conservationist who, in 1972, was adults captured after wearing a be sur rounded by a buffer zone of It occurs in lowland humid forest involved in founding the famous transmitter for one or two years sustainably managed forest that from eastern Honduras, Nicaragua cloud forest reserve of showed no ill effects. This was encompasses the macaw's range and Costa Rica to Panama and Monteverde in Costa Rica. The the first time that radio during migration and links the north-western Colombia. There is scientific papers which have been transmitters had been breeding area with the montane a tiny relict population in western published as a result of Proyecto successfully used on wild protected areas in the Central Ecuador (sub-species Lapa Verde sur ely set new macaws. The transmitters are tiny Volcano Range. In this way they guayaquilensis) which is nearly standards in research on and weigh only 30g - about 3% of believe that a sustainable extinct. Compared with the range endangered parrots. When I read the average body weight. breeding population would be of the Scarlet Macaw, that of the them last year I was impressed The radio-tagged macaws were achieved. Great Gr een covers an area of beyond words by the work which tracked in off-road vehicles using about one twentieth of that had been carried out on a network of rudimentary logging roads. Whenever possible, a given radio signal was followed until the bird associated with it was visually detected. In that way the precise locality of the bird, its activity, the tree species it was in, and the number of macaws with it were r ecorded. Food sources At the star t of the project there was little data on diet. It was known only that the seeds in the fruit of the large leguminous tree Dipteryx panamensis (known as 'almendro') wer e an important item in the diet during at least Removing a young Gr eat Green Macaw part of the year. Subsequent years fr om the nest to check its Radio-tracking the macaws Photo: Steve Winter of tracking resulted in the development Photo: Steve Winter 6 ■ PsittaScene Volume 13, No 1, February 2001 M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K salaries but funding towards a Nests and fledgling national park proposal that would survival be used as a fund-raising tool. Extensive field searching and The project had just entered a interviews with residents revealed new phase when the funding 51 confirmed nest sites over the crisis became urgent. A proposal six years of the studies. All nests for the establishment of a were in natural cavities of large national park in Costa Rica had living trees, 88% of which were just been completed. The park almendros. Some supposed nest had been designed (on paper) on sites proved to be holes from the basis of the macaw research which the macaws regularly drank findings. In addition, it was water. Eight of the 51 nest trees proposed that a wildlife-corridor were cut down during the course would connect the proposed park of the study. with other major parks in Costa Close observation of the nests Rica and Nicaragua. This would indicated that the success of The chick’s vital statistics are recorded Photo: Steve Winter allow the macaws to migrate clutches (surviving incubation, between breeding and non- come fr om the study in Costa When I met Olivier and Guisselle breeding ar eas which are brooding and fledging, to produce Rica, which has important their dedication to the project and at least one young) is 60%. The protected. The proposal was implications for the survival of concern for its future were as developed at the request of Mario productivity of 18 successful this endangered macaw. str ong as my desire to help in nesting attempts involving 15 Boza, Costa Rica's leading some small way to prevent the conservationist. nest holes during five years was Lack of funding extinction of this magnificent equal to 1.83 young. First-year macaw. The need to help became Do you belong to a bird club or sur vival of 23 fledglings from 12 Recently I was in Costa Rica and parr ot society? Why not suggest met Guisselle Arias, the director a matter of priority in early nests was monitor ed. Fifteen of Januar y when I received a that the proceeds of the next them survived until the start of of Poyecto Lapa Verde, and her raffle should be donated to this Swiss assistant Olivier Chassot. communication from George the next season, when juvenile Powell. It emphasised that the cause? Do you have a few birds separate from their parents. They told me that funding is unwanted gifts which are destined desperately needed to continue need for funding was extremely to lay unused in a cupboard? Only 35 breeding the pr oject in 2001. Last year urgent. Then join forces with others who George Powell personally donated He wrote: 'We cannot face giving care about parrots and have a car- pairs a very large sum to enable the up and had felt cer tain that one of boot sale. Do you own a shop or a Extensive data collection indicates project to continue. He can no our dozen or so pr oposals sent restaurant? Then ask the Trust for that fewer than 35 pairs of Great longer do that. out would bring in the a collecting box which you can Green Macaws are breeding Olivier and Guisselle told me that desperately needed funds. But so display with a poster promoting annually in the northern zone of cur rently the project has only one far this has not happened and we the Trust.