Two baby blue-chinned macaws, a natural species in danger of extinction, have been born for the first time at the Barcelona Zoo. As reported by the City Council of the Catalan capital, the babies were born in summer and until a few days ago they have been in the nest, cared for exclusively by the breeding pair that conceived them. This, the same source states, is a common behavior of this species when it is in its natural habitat. Now you can see them in the Palmeral, the Zoo facility that houses them.
This type of macaw is a species native to northern Bolivia that is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its main threats are deforestation and illegal captures.
The birth of both specimens is part of the European 'ex situ' conservation program for this species. Barcelona Zoo actively participates through the European Endangered Species Program (EEP).
The distribution area of this type of macaw is very restricted since it occupies only the Los Llanos de Moxos region, in the north and east of the country. It lives in savannas and flooded forests with a tropical climate, generally between 200 and 300 meters high, and feeds on the fruits of different palm trees.
For many years it was believed that this species had become extinct, until in 1992 when specimens were seen again in their habitat. However, its future is not very hopeful because of the more than 1,000 individuals that were counted at the beginning of the eighties, currently there are between 200 and 300 left.
Its appearance is very similar to that of the blue macaw, with a fairly similar distribution of plumage coloration, although it is distinguished from it by the presence of a blue spot on the throat that gives it its name. Adult specimens measure about 85 centimeters in length and weigh 900 to 1,100 grams. Their life expectancy is 50 years.
