Use of Wild Foods During the Rainy Season by a Reintroduced Population of Scarlet Macaws (Ara Macao Cyanoptera) in Palenque, Mexico

Abstract

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera) is an endangered species in Mesoamerica due to illegal traffic, habitat loss, and hunting. In Mexico, its range has been reduced by 98%. Between April 2013 and June 2014, a population of 96 individuals of A. m. cyanoptera was reintroduced (six releasing events), in the tropical rainforests of Palenque, southeast Mexico, where this macaw had been extinct for the last 70 years. This study documents the use of wild foods and range use by the reintroduced macaws for the rainy season period June to November, 2014. The macaws used 140 trees of 31 species (19 families; 84% native species) as a source of food. Seeds and fruit accounted for 70% of their diet. The remaining 30% consisted of bark, stems, leaves, insect galls, flowers and shoots. A subset of five tree species was highly dominant in their diet (regarding number of trees used, months used and feeding records). Spatial data showed that food trees used by the macaws were dispersed over 36 ha and had a highly clumped distribution. The macaws used an additional 23ha for non-feeding activities. The dietary diversity and breadth (as indicated by Levin´s Index) of the reintroduced macaws closely approaches that of wild macaws. The capacity of the reintroduced macaws to use wild foods, a very low mortality in the released population (9%), and the occurrence of nine successful nesting events, attests to a short-term success of the reintroduction. We discussed the observed patterns of use of wild foods and habitat by the reintroduced scarlet macaws in the context of the softrelease protocol used and of behavioral flexibility, accumulated social learning and a high cognitive capacity typical of psittacines, aspects essential for a successful adaptation to the wild.Keywords: frugivory, reintroduction, foraging ecology, Neotropics, Psitacids Resumen En Mesoamérica, la guacamaya roja (Ara macao cyanoptera) está amenazada debido al tráfico ilegal, la pérdida de hábitat, y la cacería. En México, su distribución original se ha reducido en 98%. Entre abril de 2013 y junio de 2014, se reintrodujeron 96 individuos de A .m. cyanoptera (seis eventos de liberación), en las selvas de Palenque, México, en donde este psitácido se extinguió hace 70 años. Este estudio documenta, para el periodo de la época de lluvias junio-noviembre 2014, el uso de alimento silvestre y rango de acción de las guacamayas reintroducidas. Las guacamayas usaron 140 árboles de 31 especies (19 familias, 84% especies nativas) como fuente de alimento. Las semillas y frutas constituyeron el 70% de su dieta, el 30% restante consistió de corteza, tallos, hojas, agallas de insectos, flores y rebrotes. Cinco especies dominaron su dieta (en cuanto a número de árboles usados, número de meses en que se usaron y número de registros). El análisis espacial mostró que los árboles usados por las guacamayas como fuente de alimento se encontraron dispersos en 36ha y mostraron un patrón agregado. Otras 23ha fueron usadas para otras actividades. La diversidad y amplitud en la diet...

The Importance of Forest-Nonforest Transition Zones for Avian Conservation in a Vegetation Disturbance Gradient in the Northern Neotropics

“…Reduced and disturbed vegetation structure in secondary forests of TRA and DIS fail to provide adequate foraging and nesting resources for lower canopy insectivores (Henicorhina leucosticta and Basileuterus culicivorus) and nectarivores (e.g., Phaethornis striigularis, P. longirostris, and Campylopterus hemileucurus) that benefit from shaded and complex forest understory (Tchoumbou et al, 2020). Recent conservation measures such as the reintroduction of the large-bodied frugivore Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in TRA and DIS may bolster functional diversity, especially as Scarlet Macaws begin to acclimate and expand their foraging range (Amaya-Villarreal et al, 2015;Estrada, 2014).…”

Reduced diet breadth in the Scarlet MacawAra macaoof the Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA), Costa Rica: Implications for conservation and ecotourism

“…11 different species were utilised as food resources across this 12-month study in the Á rea de Conservació n Osa in Costa Rica, with seeds, fruits, flowers, bark and insect leaf-gall larvae all consumed. Consumption of insect leaf-gall larvae is thought to provide extra protein in the diet but is only infrequently observed in studies of Neotropical parrot diets (Martuscelli 1994, Renton 2001, 2006, Amaya-Villarreal et al 2015.…”

“…Studies of A. macao diet conducted across Central and South America have documented a wide dietary breadth that includes fruits, seeds, flowers, vegetable matter and nuts (Renton 2006, Vaughan et al 2006, Matuzak et al 2008, Lee et al 2014, Amaya-Villarreal et al 2015. Attempts to examine A. macao diet and foraging behaviour within the ACOSA have however been limited to just one study, where information on foraging ecology was obtained through interviews with local residents only (Dear et al 2010).…”

Animal Personality and Conservation: Basics for Inspiring New Research

“…Furthermore, the use of tools that allows the choice of the most suitable individuals for release should greatly improve translocation success. Pre-release anti-predator conditioning [ 43 , 44 , 45 ], appropriate environmental enrichment [ 46 , 47 ], food and movement training [ 24 , 48 ] are among pre-release management techniques, which enhance the animals’ skills. Investigating aspects of the animals’ personalities is one of the tools that is also being applied to try and identify the most appropriate individuals that should be release into nature in terms of conservation success [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”