Military Macaw(Ara militaris)
The military macaw is 70.5 cm long on average, 99–110 across the wings and weighs 900–1,100 grams. Military macaws are mostly green with light blue and yellow flight and tail feathers and a bright red patch on their forehead. Their face is bare and white in color with black striations. The large strong beak is grey-black and the iris is yellow. They greatly resemble great green macaws and are usually distinguished from great green macaws by their smaller size, completely black bill, and overall darker colour.
They can also be separated by differences in vocalisation and the tendency for great green macaws to be a humid forest species while military macaws are usually a deciduous forest species. There are three subspecies of Military Macaw, A. m. militaris, A. m. mexicana, and A. m. boliviana. The primary differences between the subspecies are location and small variations in size and plumage. The difference in size is generally 70–80 cm, with the militaris subspecies being the smallest and the mexicana being the largest.
Habitat
Military macaws typically inhabit tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forests. They are a canopy species because they require large canopy trees of deciduous and sub deciduous forests for feeding, breeding, and nesting behaviour. They also use canopy trees for protection from predators and heat. They typically live at elevations of 600-2600 m, higher in the mountains than most macaws ever range. However, these macaws may seasonally fly down to lowlands, where they are likely in humid forests and thorny woodlands. They will nest in the tops of trees and more often in cliff-faces over 600 ft. above the ground.
The three subspecies of the military macaw are distinguished geographically. A. m. militaris are found in areas of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. A. m. mexicana occupy areas in Mexico and A. m. boliviana live in Bolivia and Argentina. The military macaw has escaped or been deliberately released in to Florida, USA, but there is no evidence that the population is breeding and may only persist due to continuing releases or escapes.
Diet
Military macaws will leave their roosts in flocks around dawn to forage. Their diet consists of mostly seeds but also includes fruits and leaves. They have been observed using Tillandsia grandis for water and consuming latex from Plumeria rubra. They have a somewhat narrow diet meaning that they only eat a small percentage of species of plants that are available to them. They will also visit heaps of clay known as "macaw licks". These clay licks are found along riverbanks or sometimes in the interior of the Amazon rainforest. Macaws will flock to there to feed on these clay deposits, which appear to detoxify the poisons found in the seeds and vegetation of the rest of their diet. It is also thought that this clay provides the macaws with dietary salt not available in their normal diet.
Breeding
Pair-bonding behaviours include grooming and regurgitation and has been observed during breeding and non-breeding periods. Courtship will occur as early as March, while copulation doesn't actually take place until May and July. Breeding season is typically between March and October while incubation and hatching occurs during August and September. The reproductive season begins with nest selection around October and ends when the chicks fledge between January and March. Military macaws are cavity-nesters and will nest in natural cavities such as holes in trees or on cliffs. They nest in trees at least 15 meters tall and 90 cm wide. During breeding season, the male will feed the female 3-4 times a day.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Vulnerable(VU). The population size was preliminarily estimated to fall into the band 10,000-19,999 individuals, equating to 6,667-13,333 mature individuals. However more recent estimates suggest the population is now smaller than previously thought. With one estimate of 1,000-2,000 breeding pairs across the species's range and another of a total of 5,000-10,000 individuals. The population estimate is therefore estimated at 3,000-10,000 individuals, equating to 2,000-6,666 mature individuals. This species is thought to be declining due to continued habitat loss and capture for domestic trade. A study which modelled the species's distribution in Mexico found that the potential area of distribution had decreased by 32%.
Threats
Habitat loss and especially domestic trade are the chief threats, even within reserves. In 1991-1995, 96 wild-caught specimens were found in international trade, with Bolivia and Mexico possibly the most significant exporters. In Mexico, it is still one of the most sought-after species in the illegal cage bird trade; in 1995-2005, it was the fifth most seized Mexican Psittacine species by the country's Environmental Enforcement Agency, becoming the fourth most seized Psittacine species in 2007-2010. In many areas it nests in relatively inaccessible cavities on cliff walls, which provides some protection against the pressures of nest poaching. However, nest poaching is a severe threat in Jalisco and Nayarit where the species nests in tree cavities. Furthermore, the dependence on nest-cavities in tall emergent trees means there is limited availability of suitable nest sites for Military Macaws, and these are vulnerable to forestry practices that extract large valuable-wood trees. In Jalisco, Mexico, macaws were not found in deforested areas, even where abundant Hura polyandra (an important food source) were left as shade for cattle. GARP analysis estimates that the species has suffered 23% habitat loss within its range in Mexico and currently, forest loss throughout the species's full range is estimated at ~13% per three generations. As the species feeds on agricultural land (crops include corn, walnuts and olives) it may also be threatened by persecution. Gold mining operations in Mexico, particularly in the Balsas Region, also pose a threat owing to the associated deforestation and pollution. In Jaumave, Tamaulipas, Mexican gray squirrels may compete for food with the species. One sub-population in the Cauca valley, Colombia, numbering fewer than 50 mature individuals, may shortly be lost as a dam is expected to flood the sole nesting cliff.
Conservation
Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I and II, and legally protected in Venezuela, Peru and Salta province, Argentina. The species is listed as Endangered on the US Endangered Species Act meaning that sale across state lines will not be permitted and transport across state lines will be restricted. A trade ban in Mexico was decreed in October 2008. There are reasonably healthy populations in El Cielo and Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserves, Mexico, Madidi and Amboró National Parks, Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Apolobamba National Integrated Management Area, Bolivia, and Manu Biosphere Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene National Park in Peru; a small but stable remnant population in Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve, Oaxaca, Mexico, with populations in at least some of the other protected areas in its potential range. An education programme is currently underway in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The subspecies mexicana is part of the European Endangered [Species] Programme of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. The species is included on the 'Watch List' of the State of North America's Birds as a species of high conservation concern.
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Conservation Actions Proposed
Assess its population status and ecological requirements. Monitor the largest known populations. Control capture and trade of wild birds, beginning in reserves. Improve management and awareness initiatives in and around national parks and in the wider landscape. Develop and extend captive breeding programmes. Involve local communities in conservation efforts including monitoring, reforestation and education programmes and promote ecotourism. The area of Salazares, Nayarit has been identified as an important site for the species and should be included in conservation plans. Prevent logging of all large and decaying trees in tropical coastal forest near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where the species nests in trees. In Mexico only 5% of the species's potential distribution is covered by national protected areas and the largest populations are not found within protected areas therefore action is needed to protect important habitats outside the protected area network. It is suggested that at least 30% of forests within the species's potential distribution in Mexico should be protected to ensure nesting and feeding areas are protected.