Save a Magnificent Macaw from Regional Extinction

Thank you for your past support for protection of the Cyanoptera macaw in Nicaragua. We are nearing the end of nesting season, and unfortunately no successful nests have been documented. The community partners in El Rosario has confronted many challenges, including the loss of the wife of one of our lead rangers who had been very supportive of the macaw conservation program.

The artificial nest boxes that we installed have been invaded by non-native, aggressive bees that prohibit the macaws from nesting. Thus, we will be visiting the next boxes at the end of April to clean them out and fumigate them so that the bees cannot reestablish in the near term. 

While many donors like you have stepped up to help this program, we still lack the resources to ensure round-the-clock nest protection during the nesting season. Thus, our goal over the next six months is to raise $10,000 so that in November 2026, we can have the "boots on the ground" needed to secure these nests and slow the wildlife trade.

Thank you for your support for this program. We are truly grateful for the chance to affect positive change. Thank you.

Thanks to your past donations to the Cyanoptera macaw project, we were able to help cricitally endangered macaws nest successfully in the past. Because were in rainy season the last several months, we were not able to access the Cosiguina Volcano and the macaw nesting areas, located in northwestern El Salvador. Some believe that the macaws fly between countries that circle the Gulf of Foseca in order to forage in the mangrove forests located on small islands in the Gulf.  

Presently, this program not have institutional support, so we are relying on donors like you to protect the nesting birds this season. The macaws nest between December and May, and so right now the paired birds are looking for the most ideal nest cavity high in a tree, difficult access for poachers. 

Our goal is to raise $1200 so that macaws can nest.  The funds will be used to carry out an immediate field visit to the nesting sites and to clear non-native, agressive bees from historical nest cavities and also the artificial nest structures we installed three years ago. This is a critical step because the bees will prevent the macaws from nesting, and due to many years of wildfires in the area, there are a limited number of nest cavities. These funds would cover the cost of the tree climbers, field supplies, travel expenses like fuel, meals, and lodging in a rural hostel, Preparing the nests for the season will enable the macaws to nest, and will give this critically endangered sub-species a fighting chance. 

Thank you for considering a renewal of your donation to this GlobalGiving project, and for not giving up on the last Cyanoptera macaw population on the pacific slope of Central America. 

Sincerely,

Sarah Otterstrom