Two blue-throated macaw chicks born at Barcelona Zoo
The species is native to northern Bolivia and is critically endangered, with an estimated two or three hundred birds remaining in its natural habitat. This is the first time it has bred successfully at Barcelona Zoo.
The chicks were born in the summer and remained in the nest until a few days ago, tended to only by the reproductive pair that conceived them. They can now be seen at the Palmeral, the facility at the Zoo where they live.
The blue-throated macaw is an endemic species from the Llanos de Loxos region, inhabiting a very limited area. The bird lives in savannahs and forest wetlands with a tropical climate, generally between 200 and 300 metres above sea-level. The species feeds on fruit from different palm trees and their main threat to them comes from deforestation and illegal capture.
The birth of these two birds comes within the Ex Situ European Conservation Programme for this species, which the Zoo is actively involved in through the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
