Macaws in Costa Rica
The macaws of Costa Rica are incredibly beautiful, clever, and gregarious birds with a ton of personality. In the coastal forests of Costa Rica, they consume the seeds, fruits, leaves, flowers, and bark of many different tree and plant species.
Scarlet Macaw
Average Size: 85cm long
Average Weight: 900g
National Parks: Corcovado National Park, Carara National Park, Palo Verde National Park.
A kind of bird that is indigenous to Costa Rica’s tropical environment is the gorgeous Scarlet Macaw. They favor tropical evergreen forests and lowland wet woods. These birds are often seen in pairs, small groups of three to four, and occasionally larger flocks. In addition to palms, they may also eat fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, and small invertebrates. Scarlet Macaws are also known to consume clay because it enables them to digest poisonous, unripe foods that would otherwise be fatal.
More Macaws lived as pets in New York City than in Costa Rica’s natural habitat. Scarlet Macaw populations that were isolated in Corcovado and Carara National Parks since 2005 have expanded into robust flocks that stretch the Pacific Coast.
The Macaw used to live in several locations along the countries’ jungles’ Pacific and Atlantic coasts. However, decades of destruction and unrestricted pet bird trade have greatly decreased their population.
Green Macaw
Average Size: 90cm long
Average Weight: 1.3kg
National Parks: Maquenque National Park, Tortuguero National Park
Despite being larger than their red counterparts, green macaws may be easily distinguished because to their unique profile, hooked beak, long tail, and loud call.
For most of their food and nesting locations, these majestic birds have relied on a single type of mountain almond trees (Dypterix panamensis) for many years. Sadly, the wood of the mountain almond tree proved to be useful for building, and the trees in Costa Rica have all but disappeared.
They are not as social as the Scarlet Macaw but are frequently seen in pairs and groups of three to four. Nearly all of their food comes from almond trees, however they will grudgingly eat from other trees if required.
The north-central lowlands of Costa Rica, between the Sarapiqui and the Nicaraguan border at San Juan, may be the best place in the world to watch the green macaw, and efforts are being made to plant mountain almond trees and create Maquenque National Park.
The big green macaw is still in grave danger, yet it is recovering remarkably.
To protect and grow the Macaw species, conservationists and the Costa Rican government work together. The birds are reared across the nation at specialized facilities. Before being released back into the tropical wilderness, the species are allowed to mature, lay eggs, and rear their young at the facilities.
Due to the new regulations, Costa Rica is witnessing a slow but steady recovery of macaws to its national parks.
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