The scarlet macaw is the most widely distributed of the 17 macaw species found from southwestern Mexico to northern Bolivia. Most of the Mexican and Central America subspecies is endangered. In Costa Rica, the scarlet macaw originally ranged in many forested habitats from sea level to about 1500 meters altitude on both slopes. However, loss of habitat and selling chicks poached from nests caused the population to decline radically and by 1990, the only two viable populations were found on the Osa Peninsula and in the Central Pacific around Carara National Park. Below, we relate how extinction of the Central Pacific wild scarlet macaw population was reversed using in-situ management of their habitat, scarlet macaw protection, and environmental education and ecotourism in local communities. Punta Leona played a key role in all of this. 

Ecological studies

Beginning in 1990, Dr. Christopher Vaughan of Costa Rica’s Universidad Nacional and his students conducted ecological studies of scarlet macaw diet, nesting, behavior, predators, and habitat use. They also counted scarlet macaws flying at dawn out of the Guacalillo Mangrove Reserve located at the mouth of the rio Tarcoles where most of the Central Pacific population spent the night during certain months of the year.

Related to diet, we found the bird ate seeds and fruit from 43 tree species throughout the year. Species eaten included: sandbox, kapok, royal palm, breadnut, hog plum, teak, and beach almond. With respect to nesting, yearly macaws searched for trees to make nests in to reproduce. We found 56 natural nests in 13 species of trees, which included sandbox and kapok. However, deforestation was destroying scarlet macaw food and nesting tree species.

Endangered!

Just over 200 macaws with almost no fledglings were the maximum number counted on one day between 1990 and 1994. Dr. Vaughan calculated numbers were decreasing by more than eight a year and the Central Pacific scarlet macaw population would go extinct by about 2010 if radical conservation management measures were not taken.

Conservation Project Begins

Alarmed, Dr. Vaughan conversed unsuccessfully with local authorities to obtain support to stop the extinction. However, after explaining the crisis to Hotel and Club Punta Leona coowner Arq. Eugenio Gordienko, Eugenio immediately offered Punta Leona´s support. Dr. Vaughan organized the first scarlet macaw conservation workshop in 1994 in Punta Leona. Fifteen local people attended including schoolteachers and directors, tour guides, community leaders, hotel employees, a scientist, and two scarlet macaw chick poachers. Under Dr. Vaughan´s moderation, the dangers for the endangered scarlet macaw population were discussed, then outlined and a series of activities proposed to restore the population.

After the workshop, in l995 the Psitacid Protection Association (LAPPA) was created to carry out workshop activities using wild scarlet macaw in-situ management. The activities included: a) stop chick poaching, b) increase scarlet macaw reproduction rate (or recruitment), c) improve habitat with forest protection, macaw food or nest tree species planting, d) construction and placement of artificial nests in safe nesting sites, e) establish community and grade school scarlet macaw environmental education programs, f) support regional scarlet macaw ecotourism, and g) finance these activities.

Punta Leona, under Dr. Vaughans’s coordination, played a major role in carrying out these activities. Initially, they built and placed artificial nests in Punta Leona and in Carara National Park. Since 1995, Punta Leona employees, working alone or with local schoolchildren, have planted thousands of scarlet macaw food trees. And since 1995, Punta Leona, Universidad Nacional and other donors including: Idea Wild, The Parrot Society-UK, and Café Britt, have funded: a) building and placing artificial nests, b) nest protection, and scarlet macaw coloring books for 35 public elementary schools in the region.

The Central Pacific scarlet macaw population and distribution responds and quadruples in size between 1992 and 2022

After beginning our management and conservation practices in 1995, we noticed an increase in the number of macaws and fledglings in the highest daily count we made between years. In 1992, 200 birds was the highest daily count, the highest daily count in 2005 was 412 scarlet macaws of which 42 were fledglings. Another milestone was reached in 2022 when 687 macaws of which 48 were fledglings were counted in one day leaving the Guacalillo Mangrove Reserve. However, Dr. Vaughan estimates over 800 scarlet macaws live in the Central Pacific because the birds sleep in other mangroves and inland forests that cannot be counted.

Scarlet macaw distribution also reflects the population increase. In 1992 the scarlet macaw was found in a 613 km²area inside and surrounding Carara National Park and Guacalillo Mangrove Reserve. By 2022, its distribution had increased almost four times to over 2,339km2 (Figures 1 and Figure 2). This demonstrates the effectiveness of over 30 years of conservation work with the Punta Leona scarlet macaw project coordinated by Dr. Vaughan with other institutions.

Currently, it is estimated that about 70 macaws live in Punta Leona, and their fledgling success has helped restore the Central Pacific scarlet macaw population. Hotel Punta Leona continues: a) to plant trees eaten and nested in by macaws, b) place artificial nests, c) maintain the environmental education programs in Central Pacific grade schools, d) support research, e) employ local people, and f) operate a ¨lapa streaming¨or netcam (lapasrojaspuntaleona.com). ¨Lapa streaming¨ is explained in more detail below.

Monitoring cameras in artificial nests demonstrates the scarlet macaw reproduction cycle to the world (lapasrojaspuntaleona.com)

Ion 2016, an important nest monitoring system was implemented with cameras placed in artificial nests in Punta Leona to transmit nest activities 24 hours a day. Lapa streaming or netcam has great educational and scientific value. Observing nesting scarlet macaws during the reproductive cycle has become an important addition to the Central Pacific schools and community environmental education programs.  Hopefully in the future, it will be used at national and international levels. The goal is to share it with the public worldwide.

It has also allowed researchers to observe such activities as competition for nests between scarlet macaw pairs, porcupines, ctenosaur lizards, toucans, and kinkajous. The last two also have been seen eating eggs and chicks. 

“Possibly globally, only Punta Leona allows the public to observe wild scarlet macaws nesting” commented Dr. Vaughan. Many hours of studying nesting scarlet macaws have yielded extraordinary results of the entire reproductive cycle. For instance, we have observed that: a) three to four eggs are laid between December and February, b) egg incubation takes 22 to 25 days, c) chick hatching and growth in the nest takes 70 to 80 days, and d) usually one of two chicks fledge from the nest in May or June with their parents.

Central Pacific scarlet macaw recovery 

The fact that the formally endangered Central Pacific scarlet macaw population has recovered with our techniques in only 30 years demonstrates that perhaps a similar approach could work in other areas of its original distribution. With human support and in-situ management, this resilient species exemplifies survival in these times of global environmental crisis.