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segunda-feira, 28 de outubro de 2013

GOLDEN CONURE, THE BIRD AS SPECIAL AS THE GOLD

[Reproduced from www.oeco.org.br]

Rafael Ferreira - 17/10/13
ararajuba
A couple of  'ararajubas'  (Guaruba guarouba). Crédito: Benny Mazur/Flickr

A species endemic to Brazil, the golden conure (Guaruba guarouba) is found exclusively in the area between the northern Maranhão, southeastern Amazonas and northern Pará; and always south of the Amazon River and east of the Madeira River.
There are records of sightings in Rondônia and the northern end of Mato Grosso, in the decade of 1990.
Golden conure in Portuguese is known as  'ararajuba' which comes from the tupi word for yellow macaw, 'araraîuba: yuba = yellow; and macaw aumentative of 'ará' = parrot, i.e. large parrot.

It is an unmistakable bird, which has up to 35 cm in length and features a beautiful golden-yellow plumage, with the tail tips of wings olive colored.

The birds gather in groups of up to 40 individuals, divided into smaller groups of varying sizes who spend the night in separate nests in treetops of the rainforest.

With intruders, are territorial: expel from their nesting area other species of birds such as toucans and parrots of other species, with aggressive attacks and intense vocalization.

The 'ararajubas' seek to tall trees (from 15 to 30 m tall), living or dead, and hollow to build their nests. They excavate tunnels which penetrate deep into the tree, reaching to a depth of more than 2 m.
Within this deep chamber, females lay from 2 to 4 eggs that are incubated for approximately 30 days, not only by parents, but also by other individuals of the group. Among them they are very sociable and cooperatives.

The species is threatened by the destruction of the forests where it lives: its area of occurrence has declined in 40 percent in relation to original and precisely in these areas are recorded the highest rates of deforestation in the Amazon. It is estimated that there will be no more than three thousand individuals, and that this number is declining.
Trafficking of wild birds is another factor that contributes significantly to reduction of this species in the wild. The IUCN  classify this species as Threatened and the ICMBio as  Vulnerable. [ICMBio = Instituto Chico Mendes da Biodiversidade]

Golden conure preservation efforts focus on the national conservation units (9), but only in two of them 'Flona Tapajós and Rebio Gurupi' are reasonably protected: the rest are under constant pressure from loggers and squatters. [Flona = Floresta Nacional; Rebio = Reserva Biológica].

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