Scarlet Macaw

Overview

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is the largest parrot in the Americas by length and one of the most visually striking birds on the continent. The plumage is unmistakable: vivid scarlet body, yellow wing coverts, and blue flight feathers — a combination that reads like a flag even at distance against a green canopy. Adults reach 81–96 cm from bill tip to tail tip, with a long wedge tail making up roughly half that length.

Two subspecies are recognized: the South American A. m. macao and the larger Central American A. m. cyanopterus. Costa Rica falls in the range of cyanopterus, which has a more extensive yellow wing patch and — critically — a much smaller remaining population.

Why Tortuguero

Tortuguero’s continuous lowland rainforest is part of the scarlet macaw’s Caribbean-slope habitat in Costa Rica. The species nests in large tree cavities, requiring old-growth or mature secondary forest — exactly what the park protects. Macaws are loud, conspicuous birds that move between foraging patches along the canal corridors, making them one of the most reliably spotted large birds on a boat tour, even though they spend most of their time 10+ metres up in the canopy.

The Central American subspecies (cyanopterus) is assessed at only 2,000–3,000 individuals, making each Costa Rican sighting of genuine conservation weight — this is not an abundant bird here the way it is in Amazonia.

How to see them (honestly)

• Listen first. The call — a harsh, carrying screech — carries across the canal before the bird is visible.
• Dawn and mid-morning movement between roost and foraging trees. Macaws cover long distances fast and don’t hover.
• Look for the yellow-and-blue wing flash when birds cross open airspace above the waterway.
• Pairs are the basic social unit; groups of 4–6 form at fruiting trees. A stationary fruiting fig or Dipteryx is worth watching.
• They don’t tolerate close approach well. Boat distance is fine; don’t push the canoe toward them.

Status note

Globally Least Concern, but the Central American subspecies (A. m. cyanopterus) is assessed as Endangered at the subspecies level, with estimates of only 2,000–3,000 individuals remaining. Habitat loss and historical trapping for the pet trade (now prohibited under CITES Appendix I) drove the regional decline. Costa Rica’s Pacific-slope recovery programs (almond and teak planting) demonstrate that active habitat support works; the Caribbean-slope population benefits directly from park protection.