Lear's Macaw

The Lear's Macaw ( Anodorhynchus leari ), also called Lear 's Macaw, is a now extinct type of Neuweltpapageien. It was named after the English bird painter Edward Lear (1803 - 1888).

Discovery and description

Mid-19th century fell under the imported to Europe as a bellows or live animal blue macaw, which was not yet extinct Türkisara and the much larger Hyacinth Macaw on another blue Araart. The Italian ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte described the way in 1856 after he saw a pictures of Edward Lear and found a bellows style in the Natural History Museum in Paris. Lear 's Macaws are significantly smaller than the 100 cm hyacinth macaws, its plumage is predominantly blue, the wings and tail top cobalt blue and the tail underside dark gray with about 72 cm in length. The featherless yellow region at the base of the lower mandible. They have a unbefiedertern yellow eye ring, the iris is dark blue, the gray-black beak and feet show a dark gray color.

One of bellows material and fossil finds conducted by Herculano Alvarenga study, which included the historic areas of distribution of the extinct sea blue macaw ( Anodorhynchus glaucus ) compares with that of the Lear's Macaw, is due to the broad consensus among others the extent of both types to the conclusion that only have subspecies status of both species. Due to the rule of priority, the following new designations would accrue Anodorhynchus glaucus glaucus as nominate and Anodorhynchus glaucus leari for the Lear's Macaw.

Distribution and habitat

Although Lear's Macaw was described as living animals in captivity, to illustrations and as a bellows in 1856 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, was only able to Helmut Sick 1978 determine the range of the species. Today's distribution area is extremely small, it is only in the semi -arid region of Bahia in northeastern Brazil ago. Currently, only a secured occurrence is known, the majority of the populations of a few hundred animals living on the territory of the farm of Otavio de Farias.

Freisleben

Main food of the kind are the nuts of Licuri palms ( Syagrus coronata ). Up to 350 nuts are consumed per animal per day. Other food crops are Melanoxylon sp., Atropha pohliana, Dioclea sp., Spondias tuberosa, corn and flowers of Agave sp. To get to the food plants, long distances to be accepted. The breeding season is from February to April, often flying out of two pups.

The animals breed and do not sleep in tree holes but use caves in a cliff, which is called the Cliffs. To date there are only little knowledge about the behavior of the species in the wild and in captivity.

Threats and conservation

The population size (2001 were just 246 animals counted ) and the small range of the species leads to classification as Critically Endangered ( BirdLife International 2000 ). To stabilize the Diet of the era of funds for endangered parrots promoted the irrigation of food crops. In Loro Parque and Al Wabra a captive population is trying to build. Run more field studies.

Captivity

Often the smaller Lear's Macaw was confused with the Hyacinth Macaw. A legal attitude in private hands is not currently available outside of specialized equipment. He is currently being held outside of Brazil only at Loro Parque in Tenerife, in Bush Gardens, United States, Al Wabra, Qatar as well as in Harewood Hall in England in zoological institutions. In Loro Parque and in Al Wabra the species breeds successfully. In captivity, the Lear 's Macaws are no extreme dietary specialists and can be grown successfully even without the fruits of Licuri palm. The incubation is carried out at Loro Parque and in Al Wabra in some artificial air-conditioned caves. Al Wabra operates an own culture of Licuri palm trees for fodder purposes.