FEATURE


for roosting and breeding. This is a transition zone between the arid and semi-arid climates, characterized by low and irregular rainfall. The temperatures vary from 15°C at night to 45ºC daytime. Initial censuses suggested that the population was not more than about 70 birds. The future for this beautiful macaw was looking bleak in the extreme. The main problems it faced were loss of and lack of regeneration of licuri palms, which form about 90% of its natural food source, and shooting by farmers. The macaws attacked the corn crops on which they fed when they were unable to find licuri palm nuts. What hope of survival had this small and extremely vulnerable population? So, in 1978 news of the discovery of


The species was described by Bonaparte in 1856, from a prepared specimen in the Paris Museum, whose origin was known only as Brazil, and another specimen from Antwerp Zoo, Belgium, of unknown origin.


the home range of Lear’s Macaw brought two worrying questions: would it result in the macaws being heavily trapped and what could be done to stop shooting and trapping?


Now I will skip a few decades to September 24 2013. It was 4.30am, dark, cold and windy. I was with Steve Brookes, who had organised the trip (www.wildparrotsupclose.co.uk) and the


BIRD SCENE 37


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