Blue-winged Macaw(Primolius maracana)
They are more commonly known as Illiger's macaw. It has a total length of approximately 36–43 cm. It has a moderately sized black bill, a long tail and a mainly green plumage. The upperside of the remiges and primary coverts are blue, as indicated by its common name. The underside of the wings is yellowish, the tail-tip, crown and cheeks are bluish, and the tail-base and small belly-patch are red. The iris is amber.
It and the red-bellied macaw are the only macaws where the bare facial-skin is yellowish, but this often fades to white in captivity. Unlike the red-bellied macaw, the blue-winged has a red lower abdomen and a red lower back. In the wild, its flight pattern is said to be a distinctive jerky, rearing motion. Blue-winged macaws have been known to reach an age of 50–60 years.
Habitat
The blue-winged macaw occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (with a remnant population north-east), eastern Paraguay and, at least formerly, in far north-eastern Argentina and east of Bolivia. It occurs in evergreen and deciduous forests, with a preference for gallery forest.
Diet
Blue-winged macaws feed mainly on seeds, fruits and nuts.
Breeding
The blue-winged macaw attain sexual maturity between 2 and 4 years after they are born. Adult females usually produce two eggs which take approximately 29 days to hatch. Young blue-winged macaws learn to fly about 11 weeks after they have hatched. They stay with their parents for about a year after learning to fly. Relatively little information exists on its reproduction in the wild, but the breeding season in north-eastern Brazil is apparently from December to February.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Near Threatened(NT). The population is estimated to be in the band 2,500-9,999 individuals in total, equating to 1,667-6,666 mature individuals, rounded here to 1,500-7,000 individuals. A moderately rapid and on-going population decline is suspected owing to habitat loss, capture for the cage-bird trade and persecution as a crop pest.
Threats
Its decline is only partly explicable by deforestion, since it has disappeared from localities where apparently suitable habitat remains. It suffers from capture for the cage-bird trade, with 183 individuals arriving in the USA from Paraguay between 1977 and 1979. At least in Argentina its decline could have been largely caused by persecution as a crop pest
Conservation
Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I and II. It has been recorded at numerous protected areas in Brazil, but Serra do Cachimbo is unprotected and Serra Negra Biological Reserve is a mere 10 km. Twenty birds have been released in Bahia, Brazil, with the intention of correlating differences in ability to survive in the wild with differences of history in captivity.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Collate data on specimen and recent records to provide an improved assessment of distribution and status. Monitor known populations to assess trends. Investigate the impact of trade. Protect habitat in areas known to harbour high concentrations of the species and develop captive breeding programmes to further extend this range.