International Census of the Great Green Macaw

International Census of the Great Green Macaw

Critically endangered parrot species

Yesterday the research program of Adopt Rainforest participated in the Censo Internacional de la Guacamaya Verde 2022. Or in English the International Sensus of the Great Green Macaw. Throughout its distribution, dozens of organisations participate in the next days to get an understanding of the current state of this parrot species. The entire world population of Great Green Macaw was estimated around only 500-1000 individuals in 2020. It is considered a Critically Endangered species bij de IUCN. Most of these spectacular birds live in Costa Rica.

Countings in the reserve

Yesterday from 16:00-18:00 and today from 05:00-07:00 we contributed by doing a count in the most upper parts of the reserve, close to National Park Barbilla. Yesterday we heard two individuals just before the night turned pitch black, right in our own reserve. This morning, we managed to hear them again far away around the park borders. Together with all the other organizations, we hope to provide detailed numbers to assess the population sizes.

A better future for the Great Green Macaw

Luckily, numbers seem to be growing in Costa Rica. The species mainly breeds in the North of the country and we only get to enjoy them after breeding, when they disperse into the foothills of the Talamanca mountains. But as their number grow, we hope to some day welcome breeding pairs in or around the reserve. Plans are made to hang artificial nests in order to entice the visiting individuals to stay for breeding season. We have also planted hundreds of wild Almond trees, their primary food source. Let’s hope the efforts will pay off!

 

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