Essentials of Ecology. 5th ed.

Аннотация

This strikingly beautiful parrot species lives in the subtropical forests in Central and South America, including Costa Rica, southern Panama, and the Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru. They have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years and eat mostly seeds and fruits. The squawks and screams of these noisy birds can be heard for long distances throughout the forests. The scarlet macaws are threatened by their popularity as pets, which is due to their beautiful plumage and affectionate ways with humans. Under an international agreement, it is illegal to remove them from the wild without special permits. However, a number of these rare parrots are illegally captured, smuggled from their native habitats to the United States and Canada, and sold on the black market for thousands of dollars a piece. During their trip north many of the smuggled birds die from stress and poor care. An even worse threat for the scarlet macaw is the clear-cutting and fragmentation of much of its forest habitat, which is taking place at a rapid and increasing rate. For these reasons, scarlet macaws and a number of other tropical bird species are threatened with extinction