Hyacinth Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)

Brazil

Classified as Endangered with about 6,000 birds left, these magnificent birds are the longest and 2nd heaviest members of the Parrot family in the world. They deserve much better photos and the fifth photo is a move in the right direction.

Hyacinth Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image It is found in várzea and savannahs beside tropical forest in east Amazonia, cerrado and palm groves in central Brazil and in the palm-savannahs of the Pantanal.

There are three main constraints on its population: firstly, the illegal trade for the caged bird market; secondly, habitat loss leading to a reduction in available food (which comes from a small number of palm species); and, thirdly, habitat loss leading to the loss of the trees where cavities provide nests for the macaws.

Hyacinth Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image Illustrations are available in Sick, Plate 16 and in HBW, Volume 4, Page 418.

You can hear a Jacques Vielliard recording of the Hyacinth Macaw at the Brazilian Environment Ministry website.

You may interested to see the website of Dr. William D. Clark

Hyacinth Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image An idea of the pressure from the caged bird trade can be gauged by the USD 26,000 price tag for this bird.
Hyacinth Macaw, Brazil, February 2002 - click for larger image
Hyacinth Macaw, Carajás, Pará, Brazil, October 2005 - click for larger image
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