Long-term monitoring of a hyacinth macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (Psittacidae) roost in the Pantanal, Brazil

Abstract

The hyacinth macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus is the world's largest parrot species and is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. This species commonly flocks in collective roost sites. We monitored a group of hyacinth macaws that has used a single roost site on a ranch with traditional, extensive cattle management in the Pantanal, Brazil, for over 50 yr. We analyzed 15 yr of monitoring data on the use of this roost site. We used simultaneous counts (n = 37), where individuals flying to the roost site were counted, and also counted pairs in nests. The results indicate that in 2001 there were 234 (mean no. of ind.; 95% CI = 55) macaws in the roost; 15 yr later 708 (95% CI = 142) were registered. The highest number of macaws registered was in the years of 2013 and 2015, when >1000 ind. were observed at the ranch. The model showed an increase rate of 26 ind. yr −1 over the 15 yr monitoring period. Temporal and seasonal fluctuations were observed, with the highest number of macaws recorded during rainy and non-breeding seasons. We discuss these results with an emphasis on the type of ranch management that favors the maintenance of hyacinth macaw food resources. The type of traditional cattle management used at the study site benefits both cattle production and macaw conservation due to positive interactions between cattle feeding habits and landscape-level management practices that preserve macaw habitat.

Nest support plants and breeding season of two ibis (Theristicus) species in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil

“…The consecutive utilization of the same nest site in different years by birds of a given species had been observed for the Jabiru, Jabiru mycteria (Antas & Nascimento, 1996;Oliveira & Cavalcanti, 2000), and the Hyacinth Macaw, Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (Guedes, 2004;Scherer-Neto et al, 2019). Further studies employing banding are necessary to know if the re-utilization of a given tree for nesting by T. caerulescens and T. caudatus involves the same or different pairs.…”

Multi‐decadal land use impacts across the vast range of an iconic threatened species

“…From the thresholded modelled area corresponding to the latest year (2019), that is, highly suitable habitat for the macaw, we excluded areas within a 50 km radius around both eBird absences and positive macaw sightings within the last two decades in order to direct searches where no evidence exists for macaw presence or absence. This radius represents a feasible distance travelled by groups of similar macaw species within a day (Scherer-Neto et al, 2019).…”

“…Its patchy distribution in remote and inaccessible habitats, high daily and seasonal mobility, and longevity have impeded research aimed at understanding its conservation status and needs. Its diet ties it to a number of palm species; it depends heavily on Sterculia apetala trees for nest sites, and it shows a clear preference for open wooded, riparian and forest-edge habitats, often near pastures (Guedes, 2004;Pinho & Nogueira, 2003;Scherer-Neto et al, 2019;da Silva et al, 2019;Tella et al, 2020;Yamashita, 1997), but the precise factors governing its responses to land use change, and how these might differ in different parts of its huge range, are unknown (BirdLife International, 2019). Nevertheless, owing to population increases in the Pantanal (e.g.…”

“…Nevertheless, owing to population increases in the Pantanal (e.g. Pinho & Nogueira, 2003;Scherer-Neto et al, 2019), where it is a major draw for ecotourists and in places managed accordingly, the Hyacinth Macaw was downgraded to Least Concern on the Brazilian Red List of threatened species (ICMBio, 2018;Machado et al, 2008) and from Endangered to Vulnerable on the global IUCN Red List (BirdLife International, 2019).…”

Fire in Paradise: Why the Pantanal is burning

“…The site is known worldwide for housing one of the largest populations of jaguars in the world (Tortato and Izzo, 2017). The region is located at the Mato Grosso state portion of the Pantanal, which experienced a huge increase in the burned area compared to 2019 (https://lasa.ufrj.br/news/burned-area-pantanal-2020/), endangering the one of the main refuges of hyacinth macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (arara-azul) (Scherer-Neto et al, 2019).…”