It was just after sunrise in Punta Islita, Costa Rica. The storm the night before had shown no mercy, dumping gallons of water into a dead palm tree that was home to two Scarlet Macaw chicks and their parents.
A team with the Macaw Recovery Network knew the chicks faced multiple threats. They could drown, succumb to hypothermia, or suffer a fatal injury if the tree collapsed. Rescuing them was the only solution.
After hours gathering equipment and figuring out the safest way to climb to the nest, the team was able to retrieve the shivering chicks and warm them up. But the tree was no longer habitable and only empty pasture surrounded it. Where would they find a home for these wild birds to survive?
In the 1950s, Costa Rica’s forests encountered an onslaught of deforestation that would continue for years. By 1987, only 21% of the original forest cover remained. As trees disappeared to timber interests, cattle ranches, and banana and pineapple plantations so, too, did the country’s magnificent birds.
In 1996, Costa Rica banned the cutting down of mature forest. But by then, vast acres of the sturdy trees Macaws relied on for nesting were few and far between. Wildlife conservationists, ecotourism groups and government agencies began reforestation efforts to restore the lost habitat. But Macaws still needed mature trees for shelter or at least a reliable substitute until the secondary growth forests grew bigger. That’s when MRN stepped in.
MRN began constructing artificial nest boxes, deploying nearly 30 boxes of a variety of shapes and materials, after noticing the Scarlet Macaws that were reintroduced to Punta Islita were competing for the few mature trees. The Macaws that lost out often settled for second best – the readily available dead palm trees. The trees were spacious but often collapsed under heavy rain.
The team’s first successful use of an artificial nest, in 2018, took them by surprise. Built out of a large plastic barrel lined with wood, the nest was secured in the canopy of a Guanacaste tree in Punta Islita’s town center. The team assumed human activity would deter Macaws from nesting there. But one day, faint squeaks were heard coming from the nest and a quick climb confirmed a Scarlet Macaw chick had hatched. Three months later, the children in the community named the chick Patrick and watched as it fledged.
The following year, the team discovered the two young chicks in the storm-swamped tree. The parents had not been tempted by any of the artificial nests in the area, but the MRN team was hopeful that now they’d reconsider and designed a wooden nest box for them and their chicks.
Within 24 hours, the box was secured atop a tall pole cemented into the ground just a few feet from the old home. The chicks, now warm and healthy, were placed inside and the team waited to see if the parents would put aside their bias for the dead palm tree and venture toward the artificial nest. Just before sundown, the parents conceded and entered the nest to care for their chicks. Less than a week later, the dead tree collapsed.
Nearly 50 Scarlet Macaws have been reintroduced to the secondary growth forests of Punta Islita. Since the introduction of artificial nests, the general population of Scarlet Macaws has reached sexual maturity and is steadily becoming more interested in investigating the boxes.
In 2020, 100% of the boxes were explored. And during this 2021 breeding season, a new breeding pair chose to nest in one. This artificial nest was made of wood and located in the canopy of another Guanacaste tree high on a mountain ridge, far from the busy town center. To the team’s delight, another healthy Scarlet Macaw fledged.
The MRN team expects to see increased nesting activity in the artificial boxes each year as the reintroduced Scarlet Macaws continue to mature, strengthen their pair bonds and reproduce. As the birds’ activity increases, the team will keep detailed records to better understand what the Macaws are looking for in a home and adapt the artificial nest boxes accordingly to outshine the allure of dead palm trees.
The ultimate goal is to see the habitat thriving to the point where the nest boxes are obsolete, but combating the effects of deforestation is no easy task. Even today, the pineapple industry persists and is the leading cause of habitat loss in Costa Rica.
To help boost the recovery of forests, MRN has both habitat and outreach programs overseen by young and dedicated Costa Ricans. These programs have resulted in the development of the MRN Native Tree Nursery with over 2,000 seedlings, participation in three reforestation events, and the training of local Women Rangers in developing their own tree nursery.
Until the habitat is thriving again, the temporary solution of artificial nest boxes will allow the Macaws to safely breed and increase in numbers. Years from now, their offspring will be able to nest and raise chicks in a natural tree cavity surrounded by healthy habitat.
Brittany Decker
Communications Manager
