Buffon’s Macaw

Description

Fast Facts

Description

The Buffon’s macaw is a large parrot with a mostly yellowish-green body, scarlet forehead and deep blue shoulders. The top of the tail is red tipped with blue. Like other macaws, this bird has a strongly hooked beak and zygodactyl feet (2 toes that point forward and 2 toes that point backward).

Size

85 – 90 cm (33 to 35 in.); wingspan 110 to 125 cm (44 to 50 in.)

Weight

1200 to 1600 g (2.7 to 3.5 lbs.)

Diet

Orchids made up 71% of the diet of a pair watched in Ecuador, and their feeding range was estimated at 2,000 ha. Their diet also includes seeds, fruits, nuts, and berries.

Incubation

Approximately 29 days

Clutch Size

2 to 3 eggs

Fledging Duration

Approximately 4 months; chicks then remain with parents for up to 1 year

Sexual Maturity

Approximately 2 to 4 years

Life Span

80 years or more

Range

These birds can be found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Habitat

This macaw inhabits humid and wet lowland, foothills and dry deciduous forest, but occurs in edge habitats and crosses open areas. It is found mainly below 600 m, but occurs to 1,000 m and occasionally up to 1,500 m.

Population

The global population estimate is fewer than 2,500 mature individuals, or fewer than 3,700 individuals in total, when juveniles and immature birds are included. There were estimated to be 1,530 individuals in the southern Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica populations in 2009. The population is decreasing but is not severely fragmented.

Status

IUCN: Endangered
CITES: Appendix I
USFWS: Vulnerable