Population assessment of Military Macaw (Ara militaris) inhabiting the southern coastal forests of Bahía de Banderas, Jalisco, Mexico

ABSTRACT Despite the broad environmental tolerance of the Military Macaw (Ara militaris) reflected in its wide ecological distribution, most surveyed populations in the few studied breeding areas in Mexico present <100 individuals. Although records of the species include several regions across the country, most groups recorded include <50 macaws. Prior to this report, the largest known breeding Mexican population documented was the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan nesting colony with 100 macaws. Over the last 8 years, we surveyed the macaw population nesting in tropical coastal forests located in the southern portions of Bahia de Banderas, the bay where Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco is located. We systematically assessed the macaw population by counting the flocks occurring in 3 forested areas located 20–37 km apart and assumed to harbor different and independent macaw groups. The macaw abundance was surveyed during 35 consecutive months from February 2012 through December 2014. Based on location of the surveys, the timin...