It is estimated that there are less than 1,000 of the scarlet macaw subspecies Ara Macao Cyanoptera , in the 5 Forests of southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
This Mesoamerican subspecies of the scarlet macaw is highly threatened by poaching and habitat loss. Of the approximately 1,000 that remain, WCS estimates that 250 individuals are within the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) of Guatemala, and only 200 are in Belize. In the MBR, together with communities and partners, we are working to rehabilitate chicks from disturbed nests, protect habitat, and eliminate poaching for the wildlife trade to maintain and restore healthy populations.