RESERVA LAPA VERDE

The Great Green Macaw (Ara Ambiguus) is with a size up to 85 cm one of the biggest parrot species. In Costa Rica, it is called “ lapa verde” due to its green color.

The Great Green Macaw prefers to live in dense and deep lowlands of the rainforests, with mainly the Almendro tree (Dipteryx panamensis) playing a main role in the Macaw’s feeding and breeding. Approximately 90% of the Great Green Macaw’s nests are in Almendro trees; however, only after 60 years can these mighty trees offer sufficiently big nesting holes for the Macaw. Equally important are the hard-shelled, almond shaped nuts of the trees, which the Macaw can easily open with its powerful beak unlike other species. The Macaw’s seasonal migration is oriented by the regional fruit offered from this and other feeding trees protected on Tropica Verde properties.

Threats to the Macaw population

The survival of this magnificent specie is threatened by the non-stop destruction of their habitat. The Macaw’s distribution area, which once spanned from Honduras to Colombia, has been reduced by 90%. In their remaining forest habitat, poaching and the illegal trade of the Macaw further threatens their survival.

In 2019, an inventory on 16 sites in Costa Rica tallied a minimum of 169 Great Green Macaws. This species in Costa Rica should be viewed as highly vulnerable. The last unprotected breeding areas in northern Costa Rica must be preserved to ensure the long term survival of the Macaws in this country.