Isn't she beautiful? The Great Green Macaw.
(photo by Steve Winter)
One of our favorite projects is the work we and others
are doing to help preserve the
Great Green Macaw,
which is an endangered species in Costa Rica,
and only survives in the Caribbean lowlands.
The Great Green Macaw is also known as Buffon's Macaw, or
Ara ambigua. We call her Lapa Verde.
Your host Alex can tell you all about these birds and
their preferred habitats, as well as the best opportunities
for viewing them.
Perhaps, if you are lucky, you will get to see a pair
of these magnificent birds in flight.
(Or maybe even 31 in a single tree!)
The Association Amigos de la Lapa Verde
is working in the
Northern Zone of
Costa Rica to protect the Great Green Macaw and its habitat. Only about 100
individuals of this bird remain in Costa Rica, and there are only about 50
known nests in the country. The Green Macaw nests in large holes in mature
hardwood trees, such as the Almendro (Dipteryx Panamensis). Couples have
been known to return to the same nest year after year, and generally nest
between December and March.
Right now individuals wishing to support conservation efforts have the
opportunity to adopt a tree with an active Green Macaw nest in it for a
reasonable minimum donation. The donor's name will be inscribed on a plaque
to be placed on the tree, so all who visit the nest will know who to thank
for protecting the home of the Macaws. Participating landowners will sign a
contract stating that they will never cut the tree, and that they will
protect the Macaws from poachers. Those who adopt a tree will recieve a
photo and description of their tree, and have the chance to come and visit
the nesting Macaws if they like.
We recently adopted the third Almendro to be included in this program, and
hosted a celebration which was filmed by a national television station. The
program has continued to prove a success as the first tree that was adopted
over eight years ago still houses a nest which is being used by a pair of
Macaws this year. This is an important opportunity for families, groups,
clubs, businesses, or individuals to preserve the home of the Green Macaw
for years to come, and to ensure that their population will continue to
grow. You can contact us for details.
Here is some more information about the Great Green Macaw.
Friends of the Great Green Macaw
Ara ambigua page at the
World Parrot Trust
(All photos of the Great Green Macaw on this site were taken
by Dan Heller and
Steve Winter,
and supplied by the
Great Green Macaw Research and Conservation Project.)
Some recent nearby Green Macaw sightings:
- August 2005: 16 Green Macaws near Puerto Viejo
- December 6 2004: 2 Scarlet Macaws in Puerto Viejo
- November 5 2004: 54 Green Macaws in the nearby National Park
- July 18, 2004: 19 flew over our B&B roof
- October 5, 2002: 8 on our last tour
- March 25, 2002: 21 together in the "woods"
- For other macaw news and sightings, click here.
Of course, the Great Green Macaw is only one of the
460 species of birds that can be found in our part of Costa Rica;
here we also see the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, the Chestnut-headed Oropendula,
the Sun Bittern, the Keel-billed Toucan, the Bare-throated Tiger Heron,
the Golden-headed Tanager, the Anhinga, the Yellow Warbler, and more.
Further afield we see the Long-tailed Manakin, the Common Potoo,
the Great Curassow, and many, many others.
Click here to find out more about our
area attractions as well as
tours farther afield, or
here for
more
information on Costa Rican birding.
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