Recently shared photographs show a cohort of 26 young red macaws (Ara macau) released into the forest as a component of ongoing efforts for their populations in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve.
“We were all very excited on launch day, the chicks ara,” Rony García-Anleu told Mongabay Rony García-Anleu of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Network Ara Monitoring and Recovery Program (WCS).
“The flight cage was open at 10 a. m. and by 2pm there were already several macaws flying over our camp,” Garcia-Anleu said of liberation in late August. “I can’t feel the emotion we all felt when we see macaws that we raised because they were chicks or incubated them in our camp, having a moment the possibility to live freely in the jungle. “
These birds are part of a program of the WCS and the National Council of Protected Areas of Guatemala (CONAP) to increase the populations of red macaws in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve that covers about one-fifth of the country’s land surface. and where an estimated 300 individual red macaws remain in the wild.
The iconic red ara, known for its brilliant rainbow plumage, is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, basically by fires used to transparent land for agriculture. the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Red macaws are indexed in APPENDIX I of CITES, which prohibits foreign industry in the species and all subspecies, however, remain a popular pet.
The 26 birds released through WCS and CONAP were “underweight” chicks, or the third or fourth laying of eggs collected from nests in the wild and raised under laboratory protection. Usually those chicks and expired eggs would not be in the wild.
“Once a very young chick starts to lose weight, it’s incredibly complicated. “Low weight “is one of the many symptoms of chick starvation, but it’s one of the most obvious, so it’s an intelligent indicator that the chick isn’t doing well and is about to embark on the one-way path to death,” said Gabriela Vigo, co-director of the Macaw Society and postdoctoral researcher in Texas A
In his doctoral research, Vigo studied the approach of collecting 3rd or fourth “low weight” eggs and chicks. He discovered that in Tambopata, Peru, hunger was the leading cause of chick mortality. The first chick to be born was still raised, but 27% of the latter, 81% of the 3rd and 100% of the 4th chicks were left hungry through their parents and died. Collecting those eggs and chicks in the wild and raising them in the lab can give them a better chance of survival.
At the WCS lab in Guatemala, 4 box technicians took turns hunting eggs and chicks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Field technicians Pedro Daaz, Juan Cuz, José Luis Tzalam and Vitalino Mejía expressed in written comments to Mongabay that a complicated but rewarding work.
“We had to make a lot of sacrifices,” said the elder assistant in the field. “We had to get little sleep, be aware of them at night . . . and pay attention to those born so that nothing happens. “them and don’t run out of food. But, he said, “with everyone’s effort, they flew. “
“It’s amazing how much this organization has achieved on such a low budget,” Vigo said. “Egg incubation and rearing of ara newborns are not only laborious, but also very expensive. In addition, both a newborn will have to be fed for as much as two hours, at least during the first 3 to four days of life. Imagine this multiplied by 26 chicks. . . in a COVID-19 year!»
Once the chicks matured in the lab, they were placed in flying cages, and until late August 2020, the cages were left open so that the birds could fly freely at will in what is called a “soft release”. Continue supplying food and water in the flight cage for a while, but you will avoid it because the animals want to locate the resources themselves. If birds do not learn, their chances of survival are low.
Once released, the greatest risk for those 26 birds will be feeding, Garcia-Anleu said. In the wild, the chicks stay with their parents for about a year to be informed of the configuration of the terrain. a consultant shows them what culmination and seeds to eat, what possible predators to avoid, how to socialize and other skills.
Red macaws are monogamous, forming a couple of matings for life. Birds fly alone or with their companions. In some areas, macaws congregate on clay rocks, cliffs made of salted clay that can lick for nutrients. Rainbow birds also eat insects, snails and larvae and supplement their nutrition with flowers and nectar.
“They have to be informed for themselves, which would be tricky even for a smart bird like them,” Christopher Vaughan, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies red macaws, told Mongabay Christopher Vaughan, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies red macaws, in an email.
Lab-raised chicks do better when released into a giant group, in a domain with other macaws, Vigo said, allowing them to adhere and imitate wild birds and each other. position “at the epicenter” of a wild nesting domain, Garcia-Anleu said, and at the same time as wild chicks begin to register and form groups.
Researchers placed radio collars on birds and used VHF telemetry to track their movements between Guatemala and Mexico to better perceive their migration. For these young birds, the team hopes to locate whether they can and succeed in the wild as they migrate to Mexico: A greater perception of their behavior and habitats can help efforts to conserve goals.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see so many red macaws flying in the woods,” Garcia-Anleu said in a statement. “But we will have to continue our paintings to protect those birds from a variety of developing threats, in a different way they will eventually disappear from the Maya Biosphere Reserve. “
The wide distribution of scarlet macaws from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon is helping them remain among those who fear the least on the IUCN Red List, even though their habitat is highly fragmented. The Mesoast-American subspecies (AmCyanoptera), which spread the Mayan forest and on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua, is under great threat.
Researchers are also working to conserve macaws in this domain by expanding tree grass cavities for nesting site construction, falcon-proof nesting and preventing infestation through Africanized bees, which compete for nesting sites and can kill chicks. in Guatemala, construction in illegal agriculture and COVID-19 have added more demanding situations to the workplace.
“This year, our cash staff has faced a ‘perfect storm’ of fires, invasions in the region and COVID,” Jeremy Radachowsky, regional director of WCS’s Mesoamerican and Caribbean program, said in a statement. “The fact that they must persevere”. with the release of these chicks gives us hope in times of darkness. “
Symbol of the banner of a red ara courtesy of WCS Guatemala.
Liz Kimbrough is editor of Mongabay, find her on Twitter – lizkimbrough_
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