Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Pairs streaking above the beach almond trees at Carara.
A meter of parrot in primary colors, flying in committed pairs down the Pacific coast: the scarlet macaw is Costa Rica's most visible conservation comeback. Shot and trapped almost out of the country by the 1990s, protected populations around Carara and the Osa Peninsula have rebuilt into the thousands, and today the daily commute between mangrove roosts and beach almond trees is practically scheduled traffic. Macaws pair for what passes for life among birds that can live half a century, and the pair flies wingtip to wingtip, screeching conversationally, visible from a kilometer away. Their harsh voices are the price of the plumage; nobody has ever accused a macaw of subtlety.
Pairs and family groups within noisy flocks; nests in big tree cavities, which are the scarce resource limiting recovery. Roosts are communal and traditional.
Nuts, seeds and fruit, with beach almonds a coastal staple; the bill shears open casings that would need a hammer in your hands.
Beach almond trees along the Tarcoles and Osa coasts in early morning. Red burns easily: expose for the bird, underexpose a third, and keep the sky out of the meter's opinion.
Never buy caged macaws or feathers, and give nest trees a wide berth in breeding season; a flushed pair can lose the cavity to competitors.
Generalised encounter areas, not exact locations. Each shape is a grid cell coloured by how likely the species is there.
- Very likelyCosta Rica10 km zone · high confidence · 91846 records · updated 41 days ago
- Very likelyPeru10 km zone · high confidence · 13065 records · updated 41 days ago
- Very likelyColombia10 km zone · high confidence · 9602 records · updated 41 days ago
- Very likelyBrazil10 km zone · high confidence · 8872 records · updated 41 days ago
- Very likelyEcuador10 km zone · high confidence · 4898 records · updated 41 days ago
