Other Scientific Names
Ara ambigua [BirdLife International (2000)], Ara ambigua [BirdLife International (2004)], Ara ambigua [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Ara ambigua [Stotz et al. (1996)]
Other Names (World)
Great Green Macaw, Buffon's Macaw
Habitat
Humid and wet lowland, foothill and deciduous forest. Also edge habitats and crosses open areas. From sea-level - 600 m, but also occurs to 1,000 m and occasionally 1,500 m.
Colombia (B), Costa Rica (B) (P), Ecuador (B), Honduras (B), Nicaragua (B) (P), Panama (B).
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 1000 - 2499 (2020) and decreasing.
Status EN
Habitat destruction and degradation through conversion to banana plantations and cattle-ranching, and logging, are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Voice
Loud squawks and growls. A creaking 'aaa' call.
Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) [XC60681]
by Oswaldo Cortes from , Panama (flight call)
Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) [XC72643]
by Niels Krabbe from , Costa Rica (call)
Subspecies
Sometimes treated as conspecific with Military Macaw (Ara militaris), but in spite of evidence of interbreeding the characters of the two forms are consistently different over their respective ranges.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
ambiguus (Bechstein, 1811) - Eastern Honduras and Nicaragua through Costa Rica and Panama to north-western Colombia.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet