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Our research on vocal variations in Yellow-naped Parrot in Costa Rica receives funds from the Schubot Center for Avian Health

Simon Kiacz (PhD candidate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program) and Dr. Donald Brightsmith, co-director of The Macaw Society, have received a Schubot mini-grant to study vocal variations in the critically endangered Yellow-naped Parrot throughout Costa Rica.

Two individuals of Yellow-naped amazon parrots (Amazona auropaliatta) in Costa Rica. A young one to the left and a full adult to the right

Yellow-naped Parrots have incredible vocal abilities, and populations in Costa Rica alone maintain at least three different dialects. Unfortunately, the population size in Costa Rica has appeared to decrease by almost half since 2005 – this decline is at least partially attributed to the illegal pet trade, as the species is popular as a cage bird due to its vocal propensities. Fortunately, many wildlife rehabilitation centers in Costa Rica are equipped and authorized to receive birds that have been rescued from the illegal trade.

The research that Simon Kiacz and Dr. Brightsmith are undertaking will seek to understand how varying dialects and vocalizations both affect and are affected by the rehabilitation and release process. This work will be done in coordination with the country’s largest and oldest animal sanctuary, Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center. By analyzing vocalizations as birds enter the rehabilitation center and throughout the release process, including post release, Kiacz and Brightsmith aim to understand how vocalizations may change and how dialects are created and maintained among release cohorts, and how these changes may affect survival and fitness post release.

Join us to congratulate Simon and Dr. Brightsmith for this achievement !

Simon Kiacz counting Yellow-naped amazon parrots in a rooster in Costa Rica

The excitement of …waiting

On 15 January, 27 days after the laying of the egg, the first chick of the 2022 breeding season hatched

January is a slow month for our team in Costa Rica. The majority of the macaw nests we monitor as part of the conservation and research partnership with the Punta Leona Hotel (https://hotelpuntaleona.com/) have pairs incubating eggs. During this sensitive incubation time we don’t climb the trees to check the nests to avoid disturbing the nesting pair. We just wait for 26 long days . . .however, we are fortunate as we can still check remotely what is happening inside the nests. Through our video cameras we can continue to monitor when and how many eggs are laid, and of course…when the little chicks hatch!

  • First chick of Ceibo Bajo nest during its very first health check up. Picture by Roshan Tailor & The Macaw Society
  • View of Ceiba Bajo nest and the first chick of the 2022 breeding season

Last week, the wait ended. On 15 January, 27 days after the laying of the egg, the first chick in Ceiba Bajo, hatched. The chick weighed in at an impressive weight of 23g, which is pretty big for a “just hatched” chick. The chick looked very healthy with a good amount of fat, and in 3 days, it has already over doubled its weight. It now weighs just shy of 50g.

The camera inside the nest has shown us that the chick has parents who are clearly not first-timers. The nesting male is regularly feeding the female, then she feeds their chick. And the female is doing a great job brooding the chick, keeping it nice and cozy in the nest.

There are two more eggs in the nest . . . will our little tiny chick be the older sibling soon?

Footage from the surveillance camera installed inside Ceibo Bajo nest. Chick is located to the left of adult macaw.

Dr. Sophie Hebert talks about her time as part of The Macaw Society in the Journal of Avian Medicine & Surgery

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

For many nature lovers, to go to the Amazon rainforest and work with wildlife and especially wild macaws is like a dream come true. Definitely a life-changing experience. It was certainly the case for Sophie Hebert Saulnier, DVM, who is a young and very talented vet specializing in birds and exotic animals.

She has just shared her experience working with The Macaw Society in the latest edition of the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery in the “Conservation Considerations” section. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 35 (2), 235-240, (7 July 2021) https://doi.org/10.1647/1082-6742-35.2.235

In the article, Dr. Sophie guides us through her training in the field and her daily activities as a field assistant and then as a lead field vet as part of our Tambopata team in Peru. She shows us how it is to be a vet in the field, working in difficult environmental conditions with very few commodities while living in one of the most amazing ecosystems in the Amazon basin. Her experience, documented in the article, will certainly serve as an open window for current and future vets, other professionals, and the general public to see how important is to integrate veterinary medicine in the wildlife conservation puzzle. 

Applied-Macaw-Conservation_Herbert-2021Download

Used with the permission of the Association of Avian Veterinarians as it appeared in The Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery: Conservation Considerations: Applied Macaw Conservation and Research in Tambopata National Reserve, Peru, and the Work of Sophie Hébert Saulnier, DMV. J Avian Med Surg 2021;35(2):235-240