The use of hand-raised psittacines for reintroduction: a case study of scarlet macaws ( Ara macao) in Peru and Costa Rica

This study reports on three scarlet macaw ( Ara macao) reintroduction projects using hand-raised birds in Peru and Costa Rica. The habitats at the release sites ranged from pristine tropical forest to forest fragments in an agricultural matrix. The combined first-year survival was 74% and the annual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Biological conservation Vol. 121; no. 3; pp. 465 - 472
Main Authors:	Brightsmith, Donald, Hilburn, Jenifer, del Campo, Alvaro, Boyd, Janice, Frisius, Margot, Frisius, Richard, Janik, Dennis, Guillen, Federico
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2005 Elsevier
Subjects:	Animal, plant and microbial ecology Applied ecology Ara macao Biological and medical sciences Captive breeding Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife Costa Rica Disease Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Hand-raised Macaw Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking Peru Psittaciformes Reintroduction Socialization Supplemental feeding South America Central America Peru America Costa Rica Psittaciformes Disease Hand-raised Reintroduction Peru Socialization Macaw Supplemental feeding Costa Rica Captive breeding Feeding Case study Vertebrata Reproduction Captivity Aves Environmental protection
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Summary:	This study reports on three scarlet macaw ( Ara macao) reintroduction projects using hand-raised birds in Peru and Costa Rica. The habitats at the release sites ranged from pristine tropical forest to forest fragments in an agricultural matrix. The combined first-year survival was 74% and the annual post first-year survival was 96%. Survival rates were very high despite a wide range in predator communities. Number of birds released explained 70% of the variation in survival with birds from larger releases having higher survival rates. Behavioral evidence suggests that birds established at the site facilitated survival of later releases. Breeding attempts were recorded at all three sites and hand-raised birds with wild mates successfully fledged young in Peru. Supplemental feeding post-release played an important role in keeping the birds near the release site and facilitating social interactions. This work shows that properly socialized hand-raised macaws can survive and breed in the wild but that ex-pets are not good release candidates.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0006-3207 1873-2917
DOI:	10.1016/j.biocon.2004.05.016