Abstract
The following is a valuable field research project to be carried out by the Danish biologists Elin Pitter and Mette Bohn Christiansen.
Distribution
The Hyacinth Macaw, the largest parrot we know, is not a typical rainforest species. Only in a very small part of its range, southeastern Para, does this species occur in tropical rainforest, where it prefers marginal situations.
The most numerous populations of Hyacinth Macaws are found in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.
Deep in the geographic center of South America lies the largest, most diverse and, perhaps, least known wetlands in the world: the Pantanal.
It is the Brazilian portion of the "Gran Chaco;' but it also extends into Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Its roughly 54,000 sq. miles (130,000 sq.km.) lie in the Paraguayan Basin, which actually drains into the Atlantic between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The term "pantanal" means "swampland" or "flooded plain;' and is actually a misnomer; less than 2% remains flooded yearround. Only a small portion is comprised of swamplands. In fact, when the rivers are not in flood, the water table is 33 feet (10 m.) below the ground surface.
The principle river is Rio Paraguay, running a good portion of its 840 miles through Brazil. Each year, the Paraguay and its Brazilian tributaries flood their banks, putting two thirds of the lands under water at the flood's maximum height. This cycle normally occurs between October and March, with the highest waters in January and February. The water starts to fall in March, and continues to do so until the next rains. Even during the dry season, it is one of the wettest places in the world, and rains are not uncommon.
The yearly flooding is essential to the Pantanal's many different ecosystems. The waters form the lakes with perfect ecological niches for the many micro-organisms, animals and plants inhabiting them. It also provides many amphibians a place to lay eggs which, in turn, provide food for several fish species, as well as caiman and birds. When the waters start to recede, the surviving young are already turning into adults and are preparing to leave the nest and will start hunting on their own.
Temperatures in the Pantanal vary, with a mean average of 77 °F (25 °C). November and December are the hottest months, when the temperature can soar to over 100 °F (40 °C). In the winter months of June and July, the average minimum temperature is 54 Of (12 °C).
The vegetation of this area is very complex, containing elements from open "carnpos" to dense, humid forests. There are also stands of Buriti palms, and it is principally near to these palms where one may observe the Hyacinthine Macaws.
Project Description
The Zoological Museum of Copenhagen has an old research tradition in Brazil through the work ( 1824-1880) in Minas Gerais by the Danish biologists Peter W. Lund and J. Reinhardt, who wrote a detailed description (in Danish) of the local avifauna.
Two Danish biologists, Mette Bohn Christiansen and Elin Pitter, who on two previous occasions had done field studies in Brazil, traveled in January 1990 to Pantanal to do a study of the basic requirements of the Hyacinth Macaw in the wild.
The work will take them into an area known to be used by parrot traders, and they will be able to witness the problems of the illegal bird exploitation first hand. They are aware that this may involve certain personal risks, and have undertaken...