Wildlife in Costa Rica, The Scarlet Macaw
The Scarlet Macaw
The scarlet macaw is a member of the parrot family and is found in Central and South America. In Costa Rica they are commonly known as “lapas” and they have scarlet-colored plumage with light blue accents on their tails and yellow and blue on their wings. Costa Rica car rental.
They are the largest parrots in the world.
The scarlet macaw feeds mainly on fruits and nuts and can sometimes add leaves or bark. It consumes unripe fruits and they are able to open hard nuts with their strong beak. They press the nut between their tongue and palate to grind the seed. They also eat large quantities of fruits which are toxic to humans. In South America, macaws eat clay from riverbanks to neutralize toxins in these foods, but in Costa Rica, how they neutralize toxins in foods is still a mystery. Central Pacific scarlet macaws eat fruits and seeds from over 40 native tree species, but they also eat seeds of exotic species.
Macaws can be found in Carate and Corcovado National Park because they like undisturbed tropical forests. They can also be found in Carara National Park, near the Central Pacific Coast. They usually have large territories and fly in pairs or small families, reaching speeds of up to 55mph. They can maintain contact in flight by raucous calls. Pairs, trios, or small family groups are usually seen, but these may sometimes mix into flocks of 25 or even 50 individuals at large roosts in tall trees or mangroves. Car rental Costa Rica.
Scarlet macaws are monogamous and pair for life. The Scarlet Macaw nests in large holes in tall living or dead trees; they do not dig these holes, but rely on finding cavities that are high off the ground and have vertical entrances. Finding enough of such trees can be a limiting factor for these birds to maintain populations in an area, especially because some bee species occupy the same kind of tree cavity.
Couples lay 2-3 eggs once a year during the dry season. Adults care for their young for up to two years and will not lay another clutch until all the young leave the nest. Both parents incubate and feed the young, which hatch blind and naked. Macaws can live forty years or longer. Rent a car in Costa Rica.
The scarlet macaw is a protected species in Costa Rica. Nevertheless their populations have been reduced due to the destruction of their habitat. They are now constrained to the forests of the upper Golfo de Nicoya, such as in Palo Verde National Park, and the forests of the Osa Peninsula, such as at Corcovado National Park.