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The Return of the Scarlet Macaw - A Conservation Success Story in Paquera
- asociacionadejpaqu
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Look up when you are exploring Paquera and you may be rewarded with one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular sights: a pair — or sometimes an entire group — of Scarlet Macaws flying overhead.
With their brilliant red, yellow and blue feathers and unmistakably loud calls, Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) are difficult to miss. But what many visitors don’t realize is that seeing these magnificent birds in this part of the Nicoya Peninsula is also the result of decades of dedicated conservation work.
Watch the story behind the project
The video accompanying this article was produced by ASOPROLAPA and tells the story of how the Scarlet Macaw reintroduction project began, the people behind it and the work that has helped bring these spectacular birds back to the area.
The video is in Spanish, but even if you don’t speak the language, it is well worth watching. The images offer a wonderful glimpse into the people, places and conservation efforts behind the Scarlet Macaws that visitors can now encounter around Paquera.
Bringing the macaws back
Scarlet Macaws once occurred naturally throughout much of Costa Rica, but habitat loss and capture for the illegal pet trade caused their numbers to decline dramatically. In parts of the Nicoya Peninsula, they virtually disappeared.
That is where ASOPROLAPA, the Asociación Pro Conservación de la Lapa Roja, entered the story.
Founded in 1996, the organization established a controlled breeding and reintroduction program with an ambitious goal: to return Scarlet Macaws to an area where they had once lived naturally.
After more than a decade of preparation and breeding, the first group of macaws was released at Los Delfines in Pochote in 2007. More releases followed, while the project also installed artificial nesting sites, monitored the birds and worked with local communities and schools.
One of the most important milestones came when released macaws began producing chicks in the wild. Suddenly, this was no longer simply a story about releasing birds — a new generation of Scarlet Macaws was being born free on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Today, the results can be seen in the skies above the region. The macaws have gradually expanded from the original release area and can now be spotted in different parts of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, including Río Grande and the Paquera district.
From conservation project to local treasure
The work continues. ASOPROLAPA has carried out repeated releases over the years, together with environmental education, breeding, monitoring and partnerships with other conservation organizations.
In 2024, another 14 Scarlet Macaws were released on the southern Nicoya Peninsula as part of the continuing effort — the eighth release carried out by ASOPROLAPA. Local students also participated, helping connect a new generation with the conservation of this remarkable species.
For visitors to Paquera, knowing this story adds something special to every macaw sighting. Those flashes of red, yellow and blue crossing the sky are beautiful in themselves — but they are also a reminder that wildlife can return when communities and conservationists work together over many years.
So while you are visiting Paquera, remember to occasionally stop, listen and look up.
That loud call from above might just be one of the Nicoya Peninsula’s greatest conservation success stories flying past.
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