Baby Bird Rescue

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Biologist Diego Noriega awakens to the sound of his alarm clock. It’s 3 a.m., and the chicks will be hungry. Noriega climbs out of bed and slips on his shoes. Then he grabs a flashlight and umbrella and goes outside. The forest is full of sound, from the pitter-patter of raindrops to the chirps, peeps, and squawks from crickets, frogs, and birds. Noriega shines his light across the forest floor, watching out for venomous snakes or stinging scorpions as he walks.

Soon Noriega arrives at the bird nursery. RAAAK! He’s greeted by the screams of four tiny scarlet macaws. Still in his pajamas, Noriega mashes puppy kibble, cereal meant for human babies, peanut butter, and pureed mango with warm water. He spoons the formula into the week-old chicks’ mouths, and they gulp it down. Then he tucks them back into their incubator—a machine that keeps the featherless babies warm. Noriega goes back to bed. In three hours, he’ll have to feed the chicks again.

These around-the-clock feedings are part of a plan to save Mexico’s remaining scarlet macaws. The rainbow-colored birds are found in forests across Latin America, but the subspecies Ara macao cyanoptera, which lives in Central America, is endangered. Only about 1,000 of the birds still exist in the wild. Most are found in the Lacandon Rainforest at the southern tip of Mexico, where Noriega works at the Chajul Biological Station (see “Bird Range”).

The biggest threat facing Mexico’s macaws is poachers who illegally capture chicks from the wild. Twenty years ago, Noriega and others at the conservation group Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos (which translates to Mexican Nature and Ecosystems) hatched a radical plan to help the birds. They would take chicks from their nests before poachers arrive. Then they’d raise the baby birds until they were big enough to survive on their own in the wild.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock wakes up biologist Diego Noriega. It’s 3 a.m., and the chicks will be hungry. Noriega climbs out of bed and slips on his shoes. Then he grabs a flashlight and umbrella and goes outside. The forest is full of sound. Raindrops pitter-patter. Crickets, frogs, and birds chirp, peep, and squawk. Noriega shines his light across the forest floor. He watches for venomous snakes or stinging scorpions as he walks.

Soon Noriega arrives at the bird nursery. RAAAK! Four tiny scarlet macaws are screaming. Noriega is still in his pajamas. He takes puppy kibble, cereal for human babies, peanut butter, and pureed mango. He mashes this food with warm water. Then he spoons the formula into the week-old chicks’ mouths. They gulp it down. He tucks them back into their incubator. This machine keeps the featherless babies warm. Noriega goes back to bed. In three hours, he’ll have to feed the chicks again.

The chicks are fed around the clock. It’s part of a plan to save Mexico’s last scarlet macaws. The rainbow-colored birds live in forests across Latin America. But the subspecies Ara macao cyanoptera lives in Central America, and it’s endangered. Only about 1,000 of the birds still exist in the wild. Most are found in the Lacandon Rainforest at the southern tip of Mexico. Noriega works there at the Chajul Biological Station (see “Bird Range”).

The biggest threat to Mexico’s macaws is poachers. They illegally catch chicks from the wild. Noriega works with others at the conservation group Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos. (This translates to Mexican Nature and Ecosystems.) Twenty years ago, they hatched a radical plan to help the birds. They would take chicks from their nests before poachers arrive. Then they’d raise the baby birds until they could survive on their own in the wild.

Scarlet macaws are considered one of the world’s most beautiful birds. Because of this, they’ve become popular—and expensive—exotic pets. People will pay as much as $3,500 to own one of these parrots!

“The reason that they’re a popular pet is the same reason people love to see them in the wild,” says Jack Haines, a biologist with the World Parrot Trust, a nature nonprofit. “They’re a giant red bird with huge tail feathers and flashes of blue and yellow. They’re a cool animal to look at.” And, he adds, they have a big personality to match their good looks. These birds are highly intelligent—they can imitate human speech, distinguish colors and shapes, and solve puzzles.

Scarlet macaws are considered one of the world’s most beautiful birds. That makes them popular exotic pets. They’re also expensive. People pay as much as $3,500 for one of these parrots!

“The reason that they’re a popular pet is the same reason people love to see them in the wild,” says Jack Haines. He’s a biologist with the World Parrot Trust, a nature nonprofit. “They’re a giant red bird with huge tail feathers and flashes of blue and yellow. They’re a cool animal to look at.” And they have a big personality to match their good looks, he adds. These birds are highly intelligent. They can imitate human speech and identify colors and shapes. They can even solve puzzles.

To meet the demand for pet macaws, some people breed and sell them legally. But there are also people who steal chicks illegally from the wild and sell them on the black market. To capture macaws, smugglers recruit people in need of money who live close to the wild parrots. Smugglers pay these people to risk their lives climbing up tall trees, where the birds nest inside holes in the trunks up to 30 meters (98 feet) off the ground. They target tiny, defenseless chicks because they’re much easier to handle and transport than fullgrown adults.

The chicks are then handed over to the smugglers, who sneak the birds out of Mexico in cars, boats, and airplanes to cities around the world. A parrot may wind up for sale in a pet shop as far away as the United States, Europe, the Middle East, or China. “They’ll change hands several times along the way,” says Haines. And unfortunately, an astounding 90 percent of birds die before they can be purchased as pets. “Each part of the journey is managed by different people, and each person is passing on fewer and fewer birds,” says Haines.

There is a big demand for pet macaws. So some people breed and sell them legally. But some people steal chicks illegally from the wild. Then they sell them on the black market. To catch macaws, smugglers find people in need of money in places near the wild parrots. Smugglers pay them to risk their lives and climb up tall trees. The birds nest inside holes in the trunks up to 30 meters (98 feet) off the ground. The hired people catch tiny, defenseless chicks. The babies are much easier to handle and transport than full-grown adults. 

Then the chicks are given to the smugglers. They sneak the birds out of Mexico in cars, boats, and airplanes. The parrots end up in pet shops in cities around the world. That may be as far away as the United States, Europe, the Middle East, or China. “They’ll change hands several times along the way,” says Haines. Sadly, 90 percent of the birds die before they can be sold as pets. “Each part of the journey is managed by different people, and each person is passing on fewer and fewer birds,” says Haines.

In addition to the threat of poaching, people have destroyed about 90 percent of the birds’ habitat to make room for cattle ranching. Today the Lacandon Rainforest is the birds’ last stronghold in Mexico, says Rodrigo León. He’s a conservation biologist who worked on the scarlet macaw rescue project until late 2023. “It’s the only part of Mexico where we still have a natural scarlet macaw population,” he says (see “Life in the Rainforest”).

During the macaw’s breeding season, from December to June, conservationists from Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos constantly monitor the birds’ nests. If a nest’s location makes it vulnerable to poaching, they use specialized climbing equipment to shimmy up the tree and remove the babies. Having to separate chicks from their parents is “the least enjoyable part of the job,” says Noriega. “When the parents return, there’s nothing. It’s impossible for us to communicate that if we didn’t do this, somebody else would, and their chicks would likely not survive.”

Besides poaching, the birds face another threat. People have destroyed about 90 percent of the birds’ habitat. They’ve replaced it with cattle ranches. Today the Lacandon Rainforest is the birds’ last stronghold in Mexico, says Rodrigo León. He’s a conservation biologist, and he worked on the scarlet macaw rescue project until late 2023. “It’s the only part of Mexico where we still have a natural scarlet macaw population,” he says (see “Life in the Rainforest”). 

Conservationists from Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos watch the macaws’ nests during their breeding season. It runs from December to June. The location of some nests puts them in danger from poachers. So the team uses climbing equipment to shimmy up the trees. Then they remove the babies. They have to separate chicks from their parents. And that is “the least enjoyable part of the job,” says Noriega. “When the parents return, there’s nothing. It’s impossible for us to communicate that if we didn’t do this, somebody else would, and their chicks would likely not survive.”

So far, the program has saved about 250 scarlet macaws. “All of these chicks we raised would have ended up in illegal trafficking if we hadn’t intervened,” says Noriega.

At the Chajul Biological Station, caretakers raise the chicks by hand. When the birds reach 90 days old, they are taken outside to perch and interact with other macaws. Caretakers also work with the birds to strengthen their legs and wings for their first flights.

Eventually, the full-grown chicks fly off into the forest canopy. Some stay close to the station, feeding in the fruit trees. Nearly all the chicks raised at the center have survived to fledge—or gain adult feathers large enough for flight—and return to the wild. Some have even become parents themselves! Seeing them fly away, “you feel like the thing you’re doing really matters,” says León. “I’m saving at least one—and every individual counts. It’s a really good feeling. You can’t explain it in words.”

The program has already saved about 250 scarlet macaws. “All of these chicks we raised would have ended up in illegal trafficking if we hadn’t intervened,” says Noriega.

Caretakers raise the chicks by hand at the Chajul Biological Station. When the birds are 90 days old, they go outside. Then they can perch and interact with other macaws. Caretakers also work to strengthen the birds’ legs and wings. That gets them ready for their first flights.

The chicks fledge, or gain adult feathers for flight. Finally, the macaws are full-grown. They fly off into the forest canopy. Some stay close to the station and feed in the fruit trees. Nearly all the chicks at the center have survived to fledge and return to the wild. Some have even become parents themselves! When they fly away, “you feel like the thing you’re doing really matters,” says León. “I’m saving at least one—and every individual counts. It’s a really good feeling. You can’t explain it in words.”