Blue and gold macaws in Caracas are facing threats due to the disappearance of palm trees, their natural habitat. Local residents, like Karem Guevara, continue to feed and care for these iconic birds.
Key points
Blue and gold macaws are iconic birds in Caracas
Their habitat is threatened by vanishing palm trees
Residents are actively feeding and caring for the macaws
Palm trees are crucial for the macaws' survival
Mentioned in this story
CaracasKarem Guevara
blue and gold macaws
A pair of blue and gold macaws visit Mabel Carnago’s apartment in Caracas.
A pair of blue and gold macaws visit Mabel Carnago's apartment in Caracas.
Manuel Rueda/NPR
Manuel Rueda/NPR
CARACAS, Venezuela - Every day as the sun comes down, about a dozen blue and gold macaws fly up to Karem Guevara's apartment.
The comical birds perch on a window sill, squawk loudly, and stretch their necks, as Guevara feeds them sunflower seeds and sliced bananas.
"These birds are like part of my family" says Guevara, a small business owner who has been feeding macaws for the past five years from the comfort of her living room. She says that sometimes the macaws bring their chicks over, a sign that they trust their human friend. "It fills my heart with joy" Guevara said.
Blue and gold macaws are not native to Caracas. But over the past two decades their numbers in Venezuela's capital have skyrocketed, with hundreds of these birds now flying freely across the city, and dazzling locals with their colorful feathers and peculiar calls.
The birds have become a symbol of Caracas and formed a special bond with some people, who leave food for them in their balconies or gardens.
Karem Guevara feeds a group of macaws that fly up to her home in Caracas, Venezuela. The macaws visit Guevara every day as the sun sets.
Karem Guevara feeds a group of macaws that fly up to her home in Caracas, Venezuela. The macaws visit Guevara every day as the sun sets.
Maneul Rueda/NPR
Maneul Rueda/NPR
But this unique relationship between humans and exotic birds is now under threat as city authorities cut down the palm trees that the macaws depend on to raise their offspring.
Maria Lourdes Gonzalez, a biologist who studies the macaws says that in the following years, the city's population of blue and gold macaws could plummet.
"If they don't find a place where they can breed, there will be no new generation of macaws" she said at her office in Caracas' Simon Bolivar University.
Gonzalez explained that the macaws only nest in a palm tree known as the chaguaramo, or the royal palm.
And they only use chaguaramos with no leaves whose trunks are decaying and have been partially hollowed out by insects.
Q&A
What is threatening the blue and gold macaws in Caracas?
The blue and gold macaws are threatened by the vanishing palm trees, which are essential to their habitat.
How are residents in Caracas helping the macaws?
Residents like Karem Guevara are feeding the macaws sunflower seeds and bananas, providing support as their natural habitat declines.
Why are palm trees important for macaws in Caracas?
Palm trees provide essential food and nesting sites for the blue and gold macaws, making their preservation critical for the birds' survival.
What impact does the loss of palm trees have on wildlife in Caracas?
The loss of palm trees negatively impacts wildlife, particularly species like the blue and gold macaws that rely on them for food and shelter.
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Officials are taking these old palm trees down in several parks and public spaces as they try to beautify the city ,and prevent rotting tree trunks from falling on people. It's a policy that makes sense from the perspective of a city planner, Gonzalez explained, but one that threatens the macaws.
"These are not birds that make nests out of branches or twigs," Gonzalez said. "They occupy holes inside old tree trunks, and in Caracas, they only use the chaguaramo trees."
Gonzalez said that having less macaws in Caracas would not disrupt the local ecosystem, because colorful as they may be, these birds are an introduced species.
A macaw peers through a window of an apartment waiting to be fed, in Caracas, Venezuela. They are a common site sitting on the ledges of high-rise buildings or perched on antennas. While solid figures don't exist, the population of macaws in Caracas is estimated to be several hundred.
A macaw peers through a window of an apartment waiting to be fed, in Caracas, Venezuela. They are a common site sitting on the ledges of high-rise buildings or perched on antennas.
Ariana Cubillos/AP
Ariana Cubillos/AP
The blue and gold macaws are native to the Amazon and were most likely brought to Caracas in the 1970s by people who had them at home as pets.
As the years passed, many macaw owners let their birds fly away into the city.
"Macaws are terrible pets," Gonzalez explained. "They are very loud, and inside a house –or an apartment-- it is hard to live with an animal who is always screaming."
The birds survived thanks to the mild weather in Caracas and the lush mountains that surround the city, which are covered with trees that provide macaws with fruits and seeds.
The royal palms - a species that was introduced into Caracas during colonial times due to its elegant appearance-- provided the macaws with places to nest. The lack of natural predators, like harpy eagles or monkeys that steal eggs, made it easy for the macaws to reproduce.
The blue and gold macaws of Caracas nest in old palm trees whose trunks have been hollowed out by insects.
The blue and gold macaws of Caracas nest in old palm trees whose trunks have been hollowed out by insects.
Manuel Rueda/NPR
Manuel Rueda/NPR
Ten years ago, when blue and gold macaws had already become prevalent in Caracas, Gonzalez conducted a census of the local macaw population.
She found that the city had around 400 blue and gold macaws. Now, Gonzalez says she would like to conduct a new census to find out how the removal of old palm trees has affected the birds.
"I expect the population to decrease," Gonzalez said. "Or its range could also expand, as the birds search for new places where they can breed."
Gonzalez has no funding from the university, or the government for a census however. And with her public university professor's salary of $160 a month, it is hard for her to travel around the city on her motorbike, counting the blue and gold birds, because gas has become unaffordable.
So, this time around, she says she will have to rely on volunteers to count macaws across the city. "The methodology is different from the first census, but I believe it can work," the biology professor said.
Mabel Cornago, a photographer who has been feeding macaws for the past 15 years, said that it would be "terrible" for the local population of macaws to dwindle, because the birds have become "a symbol" of Venezuela's capital.
Cornago says that over the past decade, she has taken more than 40,000 photos of macaws as they fly around the city, rest on trees, and perch on people's balconies, and rooftops. Every month, she sells dozens of her prints of macaws with the lush mountains of Caracas in the background, to gift shops that cater to Venezuelans who are now living overseas and crave mementos of their country.
"For me these birds are like angels" Cornago said. "Who came to us as our country was going through very difficult times."
