What is the blue-throat macaw?brilliantly color plumage makes the blue-throat macaw, a member of the parrot family and one of at least 17 macaw species, hard to miss. Its chest, belly, legs, and under-wing area are bright yellow, with golden swoops extending on both sides of its turquoise throat. Its wings and head are also blue. Blue and white stripes surround its eyes, which are separate from its strong, curve beak by a small patch of skin.
Habitat and diet
Blue-throated macaws are geographically isolate and only found in northern Bolivia, where is two subpopulations sprea across 3,320 square miles of savanna. Their precise locations and habits are still somewhat of a mystery. Conservationists discovered a new breeding area in 2017, raising hopes the finding will help us to better understand the macaw’s life cycle.
Blue-throated macaws live in the groves of motacu palms. Some of these groves are more than 500 years old. The birds have also found nesting in cavities of totai and royal palms which, in Bolivia, are often cluster on elevate terrain. Formed from prehistoric human existence in the lowland region.
Threats to survival
Humans are the biggest threat to blue-throated macaws. Steep population declines can be trace back to the 1970s and ’80s, when more than a thousand birds caught in. The wild and export from the country to be pets. Though live export of the bird was bann in 1984, the wildlife trade remains the species’ biggest threat.
Ranching operations also pose a limited threat to the blue-throated macaw’s habitat. Cattle can hinder the growth of tree seedlings by trampling and grazing, and trees are sometimes cut down for fuel and fence posts. Ranchers also burn the savanna yearly to improve grassland pasture. But research has found the presence of cattle overall is unlikely to have any immediate impact on the bird’s population.
Conservation
Despite its low numbers, the blue-throat macaw population is consider stable thanks to numerous conservation efforts. Bolivia create a recovery plan for the bird, which was list as endanger under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Many of the examples of successful conservation work are occurring on local private ranchlands, which are planting trees to provide. Food and habitat for the bird, protecting existing palm forest habitat with fences, and installing. Nest boxes to maximize breeding success.