Ara glaucogularis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PSITTACIFORMES	PSITTACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ara glaucogularis

Species Authority:

Dabbene, 1921

Common Name/s:

English	–	Blue-throated Macaw
Spanish	–	Guacamayo Amarillo, Guacamayo Barbazul, Guacamayo Caninde

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered A2bcde;C2a(ii) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2011

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Symes, A., Taylor, J., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

Hennessey, A., Hesse, A., Tobias, J.

Justification:
This species qualifies as Critically Endangered because its population is extremely small and each isolated subpopulation is probably tiny and declining as a result of illegal trade. Overall, it is likely to have undergone an extremely rapid population reduction over the past three generations.

History:

2010	–	Critically Endangered
2009	–	Critically Endangered
2008	–	Critically Endangered
2004	–	Critically Endangered
2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Endangered
1994	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Ara glaucogularis is known from the Llanos de Mojos in north Bolivia, being concentrated east of the upper río Mamoré, Beni^1,6, where the wild population was discovered in 1992. In 2007, the total population was estimated to number 250-300 individuals occupying a range of c.4,000 km², with 70 individuals discovered at a dry season roost site that year¹². The latest estimate put the population at 300-350 individuals, with more than 30 nest sites located¹⁶. Surveys indicate that the population may now be increasing slowly following dramatic declines during the 1970s and 1980s. An estimated 1,200 or more wild-caught birds were exported from Bolivia during the 1980s, suggesting that the population was formerly much higher⁶.
Countries:	Native: Bolivia
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The latest estimate puts the population at 300-350 individuals (M. Herrera per Rickman 2009); however, there is uncertainty over the number of mature individuals, so this is precautionarily estimated at fewer than 250.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It utilises forest islands and gallery forest found fragmented throughout the Beni Savannas at an 80/20 ratio. Motacú Palm Attalea phalerata is a principal food of all macaws in the area, with abundances variable from 0% to 100% in forest islands in the savannas, and borders of gallery forest. It nests in cavities, hatching 1-3 eggs. The species is most frequently found in pairs, but small groups (7-9) do occur and one large group of 70 is known. It is possible that with a larger population the species would be more gregarious.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It utilises forest islands and gallery forest found fragmented throughout the Beni Savannas at an 80/20 ratio. Motacú Palm Attalea phalerata is a principal food of all macaws in the area, with abundances variable from 0% to 100% in forest islands in the savannas, and borders of gallery forest. It nests in cavities, hatching 1-3 eggs. The species is most frequently found in pairs, but small groups (7-9) do occur and one large group of 70 is known. It is possible that with a larger population the species would be more gregarious.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	It was severely threatened in the past by illegal exploitation for the national and international cage-bird trade⁴, although this has been radically reduced since 2000. All known sites are on private cattle-ranches, where burning and clearing for pasture and tree-felling for fuel have reduced the number of suitable nest trees and inhibited palm regeneration^1,2. However, cattle-rearing has occurred in the region since the 17th century, and nest-site availability is not currently thought to be limiting⁴. Nevertheless, nest-site competition from other macaws, toucans and large woodpeckers is significant. Indiscriminate hunting to provide feathers for indigenous head-dresses probably has a small impact in some areas and small scale random hunting to provide meat for baiting fish hooks may occur. There are fears that inbreeding within an increasingly fragmented population is resulting in reduced fertility¹⁰.

Major Threat(s):

It was severely threatened in the past by illegal exploitation for the national and international cage-bird trade⁴, although this has been radically reduced since 2000. All known sites are on private cattle-ranches, where burning and clearing for pasture and tree-felling for fuel have reduced the number of suitable nest trees and inhibited palm regeneration^1,2. However, cattle-rearing has occurred in the region since the 17th century, and nest-site availability is not currently thought to be limiting⁴. Nevertheless, nest-site competition from other macaws, toucans and large woodpeckers is significant. Indiscriminate hunting to provide feathers for indigenous head-dresses probably has a small impact in some areas and small scale random hunting to provide meat for baiting fish hooks may occur. There are fears that inbreeding within an increasingly fragmented population is resulting in reduced fertility¹⁰.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix I and II. Asociación Armonía/Loro Parque Fundación produced a Blue-throated Macaw Recovery Plan in 2003. Live export from Bolivia was banned in 1984, but illegal export continues¹. The Asociación Armonía/Loro Parque Fundación parrot trade monitoring project has not recorded the species in trade for the last two years¹³, but the large scale illegal trade infrastructure in Bolivia means there is the potential to start trapping again if there is a demand. Agreement has been reached with some landowners to control access and deter potential trappers, and negotiations with other landowners continue^3,4. Based on field surveys recommendations have been made that the Paraparau region, Beni Department, be given greater conservation priority¹¹. Much of the remaining population occurs on private ranch-lands. Many landowners are sympathetic to conservation work on their lands and continued support will benefit the species's recovery. The population in captivity (some of which is held in captive-breeding facilities) is many times larger than the wild population. A nest box campaign has been run since 2004 and has found that there is a great demand for suitable nesting cavities. The active management and monitoring of nest box use has helped to reduce the incidence of nest failure¹⁷. Work with indigenous people looking for alternatives for headdress macaw feathers is ongoing. There has been a widespread education programme, including pamphlets, posters, T-shirts, and presentations, short-wave radio spots, video programs, TV interviews, travel to the most remote ranches giving presentations on laptops, and creation of interpretation centres in the bottle-neck towns of Trinidad, Santa Rosa and Santa Ana. Other measures include ongoing surveys of potential areas where populations may persist; a pet trade monitoring programme in two main Bolivian cities and land acquisition programs in order to protect key habitat and populations. Asociación Armonía, with the help of the American Bird Conservancy and World Land Trust, completed the purchase of a 3,555 ha private reserve protecting at least 20 Blue-throated Macaws in November 2008¹⁴. The reserve will be used for education, research and tourism and, with the support of Bird Endowment, an additional 100 nest boxes were due to be put in place for the 2008/2009 breeding season¹³. The World Land Trust also carries out nest-box provision, as well as the feeding of nestlings and other manipulations. In 2009 a formal agreement was signed between the Loro Parque Fundación, Asociación Armonía, the Zoo Fauna Sudamericana and the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum which formalises the initiation of a managed cooperative breeding programme in Bolivia¹⁵. It was hoped that by the end of 2010 the first birds would be moved from the USA to Bolivia, as part of a repatriation programme initiated by the World Parrot Trust¹⁷. A monitoring project was also planned to track movements during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Conservation Actions Proposed Continue nest guarding and monitoring. Expand, monitor and improve nest boxes. Continue illegal pet trade monitoring. Lobby local and national government regarding illegal pet trade. Research and promote the acquisition of land for Blue-throated Macaw long-term conservation, studies into habitat requirements and restoration and sustainable tourism support. Continue wide-ranging education programmes, especially in Santa Rosa y Santa Ana area - supported by interpretive centres. Develop alternatives and controls to macaw feather headdress usage. Develop tourism infrastructure on private reserve land to sustainably support protecting areas, and to control the negative impact Blue-throated Macaw tourism can have throughout the area. Maintain a low level of population monitoring and occasional new surveys. Field research to identify principal health threats.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I and II. Asociación Armonía/Loro Parque Fundación produced a Blue-throated Macaw Recovery Plan in 2003. Live export from Bolivia was banned in 1984, but illegal export continues¹. The Asociación Armonía/Loro Parque Fundación parrot trade monitoring project has not recorded the species in trade for the last two years¹³, but the large scale illegal trade infrastructure in Bolivia means there is the potential to start trapping again if there is a demand. Agreement has been reached with some landowners to control access and deter potential trappers, and negotiations with other landowners continue^3,4. Based on field surveys recommendations have been made that the Paraparau region, Beni Department, be given greater conservation priority¹¹. Much of the remaining population occurs on private ranch-lands. Many landowners are sympathetic to conservation work on their lands and continued support will benefit the species's recovery. The population in captivity (some of which is held in captive-breeding facilities) is many times larger than the wild population. A nest box campaign has been run since 2004 and has found that there is a great demand for suitable nesting cavities. The active management and monitoring of nest box use has helped to reduce the incidence of nest failure¹⁷. Work with indigenous people looking for alternatives for headdress macaw feathers is ongoing. There has been a widespread education programme, including pamphlets, posters, T-shirts, and presentations, short-wave radio spots, video programs, TV interviews, travel to the most remote ranches giving presentations on laptops, and creation of interpretation centres in the bottle-neck towns of Trinidad, Santa Rosa and Santa Ana. Other measures include ongoing surveys of potential areas where populations may persist; a pet trade monitoring programme in two main Bolivian cities and land acquisition programs in order to protect key habitat and populations. Asociación Armonía, with the help of the American Bird Conservancy and World Land Trust, completed the purchase of a 3,555 ha private reserve protecting at least 20 Blue-throated Macaws in November 2008¹⁴. The reserve will be used for education, research and tourism and, with the support of Bird Endowment, an additional 100 nest boxes were due to be put in place for the 2008/2009 breeding season¹³. The World Land Trust also carries out nest-box provision, as well as the feeding of nestlings and other manipulations. In 2009 a formal agreement was signed between the Loro Parque Fundación, Asociación Armonía, the Zoo Fauna Sudamericana and the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum which formalises the initiation of a managed cooperative breeding programme in Bolivia¹⁵. It was hoped that by the end of 2010 the first birds would be moved from the USA to Bolivia, as part of a repatriation programme initiated by the World Parrot Trust¹⁷. A monitoring project was also planned to track movements during the breeding and non-breeding seasons.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Continue nest guarding and monitoring. Expand, monitor and improve nest boxes. Continue illegal pet trade monitoring. Lobby local and national government regarding illegal pet trade. Research and promote the acquisition of land for Blue-throated Macaw long-term conservation, studies into habitat requirements and restoration and sustainable tourism support. Continue wide-ranging education programmes, especially in Santa Rosa y Santa Ana area - supported by interpretive centres. Develop alternatives and controls to macaw feather headdress usage. Develop tourism infrastructure on private reserve land to sustainably support protecting areas, and to control the negative impact Blue-throated Macaw tourism can have throughout the area. Maintain a low level of population monitoring and occasional new surveys. Field research to identify principal health threats.

Bibliography [top]

	Anon. 2002. The Blue-throated Macaw conservation programme: new insights and a species recovery plan. Cyanopsitta 64: 10-16. Anon. 2008. The new Spix's Macaw breeding centre of LPF. Cyanopsitta: 3-5. Armonia. 2001. Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Project. Beni, Bolivia. BirdLife International. 2008. First protected area established for Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw. Available at: #http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2008/11/bolivian_reserve.htm#. Collar, N. J.; Gonzaga, L. P.; Krabbe, N.; Madroño Nieto, A.; Naranjo, L. G.; Parker, T. A.; Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K. Duffield, G. E.; Hesse, A. J. 1997. Ecology and conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw. PsittaScene 9: 10-11. Herrera, M.; Hennessey, A. B. 2007. Quantifying the illegal parrot trade in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, with emphasis on threatened species. Bird Conservation International 17: 295-300. Hesse, A. 1998. Conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis. In: Loro Parque (ed.), IV International parrot convention, pp. 104-109. Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. Hesse, A. J. 1996. Red alert for Blue-throated Macaw. Cyanopsitta 41: 2-3. Hesse, A. J.; Duffield, G. E. 2000. The status and conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis. Bird Conservation International 10: 255-275. Loro Parque Fundación/Asociación Armonía. 2003. Salvando la Paraba Barba Azul Ara glaucogularis: Un plan de recuperación para la especie. Snyder, N.; McGowan, P.; Gilardi, J.; Grajal, A. 2000. Parrots: status survey and conservation action plan 2000-2004. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Tobias, J. 2003. A survey for the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis in the Paraparau region, Dpto. Beni. Waugh, D. 2007. Sensational new discovery of Blue-throated Macaws in Bolivia. AFA Watchbird 34(3): 53. Yamashita, C.; Machado de Barros, Y. 1997. The Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis: characterization of its distinctive habitats in savannahs of the Beni, Bolivia. Ararajuba 52: 141-150.

Anon. 2002. The Blue-throated Macaw conservation programme: new insights and a species recovery plan. Cyanopsitta 64: 10-16.

Anon. 2008. The new Spix's Macaw breeding centre of LPF. Cyanopsitta: 3-5.

Armonia. 2001. Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Project. Beni, Bolivia.

BirdLife International. 2008. First protected area established for Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw. Available at: #http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2008/11/bolivian_reserve.htm#.

Collar, N. J.; Gonzaga, L. P.; Krabbe, N.; Madroño Nieto, A.; Naranjo, L. G.; Parker, T. A.; Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K.

Duffield, G. E.; Hesse, A. J. 1997. Ecology and conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw. PsittaScene 9: 10-11.

Herrera, M.; Hennessey, A. B. 2007. Quantifying the illegal parrot trade in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, with emphasis on threatened species. Bird Conservation International 17: 295-300.

Hesse, A. 1998. Conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis. In: Loro Parque (ed.), IV International parrot convention, pp. 104-109. Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.

Hesse, A. J. 1996. Red alert for Blue-throated Macaw. Cyanopsitta 41: 2-3.

Hesse, A. J.; Duffield, G. E. 2000. The status and conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis. Bird Conservation International 10: 255-275.

Loro Parque Fundación/Asociación Armonía. 2003. Salvando la Paraba Barba Azul Ara glaucogularis: Un plan de recuperación para la especie.

Snyder, N.; McGowan, P.; Gilardi, J.; Grajal, A. 2000. Parrots: status survey and conservation action plan 2000-2004. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Tobias, J. 2003. A survey for the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis in the Paraparau region, Dpto. Beni.

Waugh, D. 2007. Sensational new discovery of Blue-throated Macaws in Bolivia. AFA Watchbird 34(3): 53.

Yamashita, C.; Machado de Barros, Y. 1997. The Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis: characterization of its distinctive habitats in savannahs of the Beni, Bolivia. Ararajuba 52: 141-150.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2011. Ara glaucogularis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2012.
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