9 thoughts on “Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana)”
I agree with this revised assessment, the species seems to be expanding its range in the Belém Area of Endemism (and likely elsewhere in the E Amazon) and is now regular close to the city of Belém where it was rare or absent 20 years ago. Unclear if this represents a range extension owing to land-use change or a relaxation of trapping pressure but the species appears to do well in variegated human-modified tropical forest landscapes.
I noticed a population increase in Boa Nova (2005-2025), with a maximum count of 36 individuals in a single group, indicating a high population. The species also occurs around large urban centers and poorly conserved landscapes (Vitória da Conquista). It is very abundant in Curaça, being one of the most common Psitacidae. The species’ situation is of Least concern.
In Paraguay the species is officially listed as Endangered (using Red List criteria) due to an inferred ongoing decline in the small population remaining in Paraguay, though the last national assessment was in 2017. The species appears to have been extirpated from its former range in the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay (Canindeyú, Alto Paraná, Itapúa departments) with no records in recent years, but a small population persists in the extreme north of Eastern Paraguay (Concepción and Amambay departments). Deforestation and forest degradation continue in Eastern Paraguay despite a zero deforestation law, and capture for cage birds remains a concern.
An amendment to my previous comment: The species has been recorded at one site in Canindeyú department in the past ten years (Oscar Rodriguez pers. comm.), a location with a long history of records.
Although the Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana) has recolonized areas where it was once extinct and expanded its range northward, it’s crucial to acknowledge a local extinction within the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. Within this biome, the species currently has no records in Brazil, Paraguay, or Argentina.
This situation led to the species being categorized as Critically Endangered (CR) in the 2015 Argentine national Red List assessment of threatened birds. This classification, for which I was the author, followed the IUCN methodology for regional listings.
Furthermore, no new sightings of the species have been recorded in this region since the 2006 work by Bodrati et al., of which I am a co-author. This absence of records also applies to the Paraguayan and Brazilian territories within the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. Consequently, the category of ‘possibly extinct’ should be revised to ‘extinct’ for a significant portion of the southern end of its distribution.
In response to this situation, Aves Argentinas, the organization I represent, has initiated a reintroduction project in the upper Iguazú River basin. This initiative aims to re-establish the species within the Iguazú (Argentina) and Iguaçu (Brazil) National Parks.
The project incorporates a social component to foster a strong coexistence strategy, considering past conflicts with corn farmers.
Therefore, we believe it is vital to consider these specific circumstances when categorizing the species and calculating its current global distribution.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 25 April 2025. We will now analyse and interpret the information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List category on this page on 25 April 2025, when discussions will re-open.
We thank contributors for the information shared in the above comments. We will edit the map to reflect the loss of the species from the southern parts of the range as noted. Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2025 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classification outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 4 May 2025, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2025 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in October 2025, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the information, and a final decision on this species’ Red List category will be posted on this page on 12 May 2025.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Blue-winged Macaw is recommended to be listed as Least Concern.
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2025.2 GTB Forum process. The final Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in October 2025, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
I agree with this revised assessment, the species seems to be expanding its range in the Belém Area of Endemism (and likely elsewhere in the E Amazon) and is now regular close to the city of Belém where it was rare or absent 20 years ago. Unclear if this represents a range extension owing to land-use change or a relaxation of trapping pressure but the species appears to do well in variegated human-modified tropical forest landscapes.
I noticed a population increase in Boa Nova (2005-2025), with a maximum count of 36 individuals in a single group, indicating a high population. The species also occurs around large urban centers and poorly conserved landscapes (Vitória da Conquista). It is very abundant in Curaça, being one of the most common Psitacidae. The species’ situation is of Least concern.
In Paraguay the species is officially listed as Endangered (using Red List criteria) due to an inferred ongoing decline in the small population remaining in Paraguay, though the last national assessment was in 2017. The species appears to have been extirpated from its former range in the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay (Canindeyú, Alto Paraná, Itapúa departments) with no records in recent years, but a small population persists in the extreme north of Eastern Paraguay (Concepción and Amambay departments). Deforestation and forest degradation continue in Eastern Paraguay despite a zero deforestation law, and capture for cage birds remains a concern.
An amendment to my previous comment: The species has been recorded at one site in Canindeyú department in the past ten years (Oscar Rodriguez pers. comm.), a location with a long history of records.
Although the Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana) has recolonized areas where it was once extinct and expanded its range northward, it’s crucial to acknowledge a local extinction within the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. Within this biome, the species currently has no records in Brazil, Paraguay, or Argentina.
This situation led to the species being categorized as Critically Endangered (CR) in the 2015 Argentine national Red List assessment of threatened birds. This classification, for which I was the author, followed the IUCN methodology for regional listings.
Furthermore, no new sightings of the species have been recorded in this region since the 2006 work by Bodrati et al., of which I am a co-author. This absence of records also applies to the Paraguayan and Brazilian territories within the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. Consequently, the category of ‘possibly extinct’ should be revised to ‘extinct’ for a significant portion of the southern end of its distribution.
In response to this situation, Aves Argentinas, the organization I represent, has initiated a reintroduction project in the upper Iguazú River basin. This initiative aims to re-establish the species within the Iguazú (Argentina) and Iguaçu (Brazil) National Parks.
The project incorporates a social component to foster a strong coexistence strategy, considering past conflicts with corn farmers.
Therefore, we believe it is vital to consider these specific circumstances when categorizing the species and calculating its current global distribution.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 25 April 2025. We will now analyse and interpret the information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List category on this page on 25 April 2025, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
We thank contributors for the information shared in the above comments. We will edit the map to reflect the loss of the species from the southern parts of the range as noted. Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2025 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classification outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 4 May 2025, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2025 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in October 2025, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the information, and a final decision on this species’ Red List category will be posted on this page on 12 May 2025.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Blue-winged Macaw is recommended to be listed as Least Concern.
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2025.2 GTB Forum process. The final Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in October 2025, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.