Blue-throated Macaw added to the Endangered Species list

Lovely · Oct 17, 2013

I know I don't own a Macaw, but the local breeder in my area just posted this.

Their link isn't working for me, but ill just post their website because maybe it'll work for other people.

DJ Feathers Aviary - Hand-fed Parrots & Avian Products - Caiques Conures Cockatiels Macaws Senegals Amazons

You have to scroll down a little bit to find the link.

:green1:

Featheredsamurai · Oct 17, 2013

I'm pretty sure they've been in the list for a while, it's estimated that there's only 80-200 birds in the wild

Birdman666 · Oct 17, 2013

They have been critically endangered for about 7-10 years now. As are the red fronted macaws. They come from the same basic small area of Bolivia. Their nesting places and food sources have been turned into farmland...

There is nowhere left for them to go...

And those are some of my very favorite macaws! HUGE personality birds... and they are almost gone.

Lovely · Oct 17, 2013

IDK, but I guess its getting a little strict now.

:green1:

Birdman666 · Oct 17, 2013

It's Bolivia!

Nothing is really enforced...

Lovely · Oct 17, 2013

Don't hate Bolivia D:
What they ever do to you? Lol

:green1:

Birdman666 · Oct 17, 2013

I got a really bad infection from contaminated water supply...

Lovely · Oct 17, 2013

Well then that's a good reason to hate Bolivia

:green1:

Birdman666 · Oct 17, 2013

I don't hate Bolivia. I'm just saying that in a country with the kind of poverty and problems they have, they don't exactly make enforcement of endangered species laws a high priority. Especially in the relatively remote country areas where these birds live...

They don't have the resources for it, and enforcement of these laws is not exactly a high priority...

Just as it's not so high in Columbia, Peru, or Brasil...

They have a hard enough time enforcing the "human" laws, much less "bird" laws.

That's just reality folks.

Remember the Brazillian Spix Macaw program? They managed to accidentally kill the entire remaining breeding stock in the county (50 birds)... at least that's the official story... unofficially, some of these birds might have gone out the back door, for money! (So at least there is hope they may still be alive...)

You and I will never know the truth...

baron1282 · Oct 17, 2013

I understand that introducing a specie to a new area can be catastrophic to an area, but Macaws don't seem like they could harm a lot. Why can't we take the birds and introduce them somewhere they will be protected?

I understand a lot research will have to go into the impact to the target area, but it just seems like it's such a simple solution. Build nesting area's within the farm land for the birds, or just move them.

I know it's easier said than done, but still does not seem like a lot of trouble to build nesting areas in the area they already live in.

Another thing to consider is how much species are we really losing to extinction, and not just a color mutation that took off for a good while?

MonicaMc · Oct 17, 2013

You can't lose a species through mutations, but you can via hybridization. There are a few mutations that have come from wild caught parrots.

Reintroducing a species to an area can be a difficult task because the birds may not know to stay away from predators. They may not be able to find food or shelter. There's been a few release attempts and the birds didn't survive because of those conditions.

And yet, we have feral/naturalized flocks living around the world! There are a lot of wild flocks in the USA alone!

Echo · Oct 17, 2013

Birdman666 said:
They have been critically endangered for about 7-10 years now. As are the red fronted macaws. They come from the same basic small area of Bolivia. Their nesting places and food sources have been turned into farmland...

There is nowhere left for them to go...

And those are some of my very favorite macaws! HUGE personality birds... and they are almost gone.

There is a guy is my state who is selling his!!

baron1282 · Oct 18, 2013

MonicaMc

I guess, so the best way to keep these animals alive and around for years to come is though breeding them for pets. It's sad, but at least it means that the bird will not die forever. So it's a double edged sword, on one hand the pet trade (and farming) caused the issue, but now it's helping.

I guess my other question was, is the blue-throated macaw a color mutation of the blue and gold macaw or a different specie all together?

csperkins3 · Oct 18, 2013

I am all for helping the species and I really hope the numbers in the wild can somehow be increased. I do not understand how stopping out of state sales of birds has an impact on the problem. I am so sad by this, because there are no breeders in my state and I have been planning to get one for a couple of years. I found my baby girl and was waiting for her to be weaned. She is due to be shipped in Dec./Jan but now with the new law I have to get her shipped before Nov. 4th. I am so sad this is my only chance to have a baby blue throat and now I have to take her early. I am just so blindsided by this news. I don't want to jeopardize my baby girl but I do want my baby blue throat.

MonicaMc · Oct 18, 2013

Oh, they are most definitely a separate species!

Flickr: The Parrot Species Identification Pool

It is possible that one is a mutation of the other, in the sense that a flock got separated from the main group and over the centuries changed in size and color.... or that it's possible that they came from the same species of parrot that no longer exists, but they themselves diverged into different paths.

Other similar species include....

Scarlet Macaw & Greenwing Macaw
Bufffons Macaw & Military Macaw
Any Red Headed Conure Species
Sulfur Breasted Conure & Sun Conures
Jendays & Gold Caps

Just for a short list.... there's plenty more!

Humans have decimated many species. It is now up to us to fix the damages we have done! Thankfully, there are some breeding programs out there, and I think some people have discovered how to raise parrots for release back out into the wild.

Chris Biro is trying to work with thick billed parrots, trying to breed them, train and prepare them for living in Arizona. I don't believe he's been able to work towards this goal, but he does have birds to breed.

Bird Recovery International |

Lovely · Oct 18, 2013

These Macaws are a beauty, I'd love to have one. Then I can say I have an endangered species Lol.

But I still need to work my way out of the novice stage. I think I'm now an intermediate XD because I trained the Quakers.

>.> Idk, but a Macaw (don't know which breed yet) and a CAG are my dream birds c:

Lol

:green1:

Birdman666 · Oct 18, 2013

I helped hand feed one last year. Cute little bugger, and one of the smartest little macaws I've ever worked with...

Birdman666 · Oct 18, 2013

baron1282 said:
I understand that introducing a specie to a new area can be catastrophic to an area, but Macaws don't seem like they could harm a lot. Why can't we take the birds and introduce them somewhere they will be protected?

I understand a lot research will have to go into the impact to the target area, but it just seems like it's such a simple solution. Build nesting area's within the farm land for the birds, or just move them.

I know it's easier said than done, but still does not seem like a lot of trouble to build nesting areas in the area they already live in.

Another thing to consider is how much species are we really losing to extinction, and not just a color mutation that took off for a good while?

It;s not just their nesting places, it's the trees that were their primary food sources were cut down, and the land was turned into farm land.

In short, they have no safe place to nest, and nothing to eat. The population has dwindled from the thousands to the hundreds or less in the space of about 10 years.

And the only place in the world where RFM's and Blue Throats exist is that one small area of Bolivia.

So long wild Red Fronts...

So long wild Blue Throats...

They are popular (i.e. GREAT!) pets, and there are thousands of them in captivity in the US alone. So the species will go on, just not in the wild.

Spix's are extinct - but I know someone overseas who has 50 breeding pair... so they still exist. And they will be saved...

He refused to give his birds back to Brasil. Everyone thought he was being an a$$hole. Turns out HE WAS RIGHT!!!

doodadz · Oct 31, 2013

This listing does more than acknowledge the natural rarity of a species. The CITES laws already do that very nicely. This law, or statute, in LOTS of states in this fine union of ours, disallows the ownership, trade, or sale of several kinds of companion parrots. Under most circumstances, it prohibits the trade or sale across state lines for profit except in limited circumstances where it is for the good of the species and only between "authorized" breeders / birdkeepers. Please educate yourselves about this law. If your companion parrot is not on it now, it will be later. This law specifically addresses scarlets, hyacinths, buffons, and military macaws now. PLEASE educate yourselves NOW about this. It even effectively limits where you take your bird to the vets, for those of us that live close to a state border.

Birdman666 · Oct 31, 2013

doodadz said:
This listing does more than acknowledge the natural rarity of a species. The CITES laws already do that very nicely. This law, or statute, in LOTS of states in this fine union of ours, disallows the ownership, trade, or sale of several kinds of companion parrots. Under most circumstances, it prohibits the trade or sale across state lines for profit except in limited circumstances where it is for the good of the species and only between "authorized" breeders / birdkeepers. Please educate yourselves about this law. If your companion parrot is not on it now, it will be later. This law specifically addresses scarlets, hyacinths, buffons, and military macaws now. PLEASE educate yourselves NOW about this. It even effectively limits where you take your bird to the vets, for those of us that live close to a state border.

Well, I believe that relates to wild caught birds, not domestically bred birds. I can tell you there are two baby blue throats, as of last week, that were for sale down the street from me. I played with them...

I believe Golden Conures are permit only birds.

Black Palms used to be, but I don't think they are anymore. (Not that anyone actually enforces these laws!)

I'm not sure about the other parrot species.

I'm pretty sure Spix's would be, if there were any left and you got caught with one, it would probably be a huge fine, and they would confiscate it.

Blue-throated Macaw added to the Endangered Species list

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