Lear's macaw  (Anodorhynchus leari)

Lear's macaw is thought to be a naturally rare species (4), and population numbers were low when it was discovered in 1978. The major threat to this species comes from the illegal wildlife trade. Collectors will pay high prices for such rare and beautiful birds and a breeding pair is thought to be worth as much as £50,000 on the black market (4). The population of Lear's macaws is also highly influenced by the availability of their principal food source, the licuri palm, numbers of which have recently been vastly reduced due to livestock-grazing (5). A major fire could now wipe the whole palm population out (5), leaving this parrot fatally vulnerable.

Although protected by the Brazilian government and listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) effectively banning international trade in the species, the Lear's macaw remains critically at danger from illegal trade (5). Recent infiltration of poaching rings and guarding of roosting sites may be finally slowing the decline in this species, and there are plans to grow and fence 50,000 licuri palm seedlings (5). A recent population survey has reported an encouraging increase in Lear's macaw numbers in the wild; in the municipalities of Canudos and Jeremoabo the population now stands at around 455 individuals (6).