Translocation of Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna into its historical range on Trinidad

Abstract

New World parrots are declining throughout their range. Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna was extirpated from the island of Trinidad in the late 1960s through anthropogenic processes. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is assisting the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, Trinidad on a mission to restore the species into its historical range within the Bush-Bush Sanctuary in the Nariva Swamp. The Sanctuary has been protected by the government of Trinidad and is the home of the endangered Red-bellied Macaw Ara manilata and West Indian Manatee Trichechus manatus. Zoo and Wildlife personnel participated in three separate releases, beginning in December 1999 through to March 2000. The initial release consisted of an identical sex group of macaws followed by two additional releases of pairs/groups of birds. Of 18 Blue and Gold Macaws, 14 were released into the Nariva Swamp and are currently being monitored by the Wildlife Section, Zoo personnel and surrounding community. Translocation of wild populations of parrots has proven to be a viable solution to restocking wild populations that have been regionally extirpated.

Plant food resources exploited by Blue-and-Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna, Linnaeus 1758) at an urban area in Central Brazil

“…The extensive consumption of palm fruits, mainly during the dry season, was also noted elsewhere at preserved areas (Roth, 1984;Sick, 1997;Oehler et al, 2001). These nutritive and, potentially, abundant fruits were available when fleshy fruits often decline in tropical areas (van Schaik et al, 1993).…”

“…In fact, the importance of these fruits is particularly pronounced in marked seasonal areas where asynchronous fruits tend to exhibit no redundancy with seasonal fruits (Peres, 2000;Ragusa-Netto, 2010), potentially, the case at the studied urban area. Recently, the reduction of palm density in natural areas has been assumed as the cause of macaw influx to palm orchards (Oehler et al, 2001). In principle, this may be the case in the urban area of Três Lagoas where palms are common due to their ornamental importance.…”

“…Up to now, data on their feeding habits mostly results from circumstantial feeding records across their wide distribution area (Forshaw, 1989;Sick, 1997;Collar, 1997). The consumption of large seeds either at forests or savannas has been a major trend in their diet (Trivedi et al, 2004;Haugaasen and Peres, 2005;Tubelis, 2009;Ragusa-Netto, 2006, 2011, as well as the use of palm fruits (Roth, 1984;Sick, 1997;Oehler et al, 2001). The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw also feeds on items as fruit pulp, arils, nectar, flowers, and leaves (Forshaw, 1989;Sick, 1997;Collar, 1997).…”

Feeding ecology of Ara ararauna (Aves, Psittacidae) at firebreaks in western Cerrado, Brazil

“…These D. P. Tubelis studies identified many other food items. My study in grassland and woodland firebreaks adds six species to the known diet of plant species eaten by the Blue-and-yellow Macaw in the Cerrado and in general (Haverschmidt, 1954;Roth, 1984;Forshaw, 1989;del Hoyo et al, 1997;Sick, 1997;Juniper and Parr, 1998;Oehler et al, 2001;Trivedi et al, 2004;Haugaasen and Peres, 2005;Sigrist, 2006). As sampling occurred between September and February, further studies, especially in other periods of the year, might identify other plant species that are consumed by macaws in the region of Emas National Park.…”

“…Seed consumption has been observed in countries such as Surinam, Peru and Brazil (Haverschmidt, 1954;Trivedi et al, 2004;Haugaasen and Peres, 2005). Equally frequent are reports of fruit consumption, especially palm fruits (Roth, 1984;Sick, 1997;Oehler et al, 2001). Also, there are brief comments on A. ararauna eating fruits of other plants (Roth, 1984;Sick, 1997;Sigrist, 2006).…”