BRAZIL: Deforestation Endangers Northeastern Macaw RIO DE
JANEIRO, Apr 23 (Tierramérica).- Deforestation of the caatinga,
a semi-arid biome in northeastern Brazil, could place the blue-
winged macaw (Ara maracana) in danger of extinction, according
to a new study from the Federal University of Rio Grande do
Norte.*Source: Inter Press Service. This colorful tropical bird,
classified as vulnerable by the Brazilian Institute of the
Environment and Natural Resources, is also a target of illegal
trafficking, especially of young specimens. The researchers
monitored flocks of blue-winged macaws between 2009 and 2011,
and found that while these flocks initially comprised 30 birds
each, they are now made up of barely 10. “These birds reproduce
in the trunks of mulungús, typical trees of the caatinga
ecosystem which are being cleared to create pastureland,”
biologist Mauro Pichorim, who headed up the study, told
Tierramérica. “Official figures reveal the loss of almost 46
percent of the original vegetation of the caatin