Around the same time that the iconic sage grouse http://www.care2.com/causes/despite-losing-90-percent-of-its-population-feds-say-sage-grouse-not-endangered.html was denied the endangered listing , two other birds -- the military macaw http://www.care2.com/causes/one-of-the-worlds-last-hyacinth-macaws-searches-for-romance.html and the great green macaw -- had much better luck. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that both macaws would be granted federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to the USFWS press release, http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=u.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-protects-two-rare-macaw-species-&_ID=35251 while there have been efforts to save the macaws, they 're still in decline. The birds endemic to Central and South America don 't have it easy, and both are at high risk of extinction in their ranges. The main threats to the two species are: "habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, small population size, and poaching."
The birds ' new status means more restrictions, except for scientists researching and restoring the macaws. Without a permit, the birds will no longer:
1. Be imported and exported out of the U.S.
2. "Taken" within the U.S. The ESA
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It 's a large, dark-lime green macaw with a blue lower back and red and blue tail. Its beauty is part of the reason that it 's in trouble, says the IUCN Red List. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/22685548/0 It 's unique look makes it an in demand bird for the domestic trade, or illegal cagebird trade, and vulnerable to nest poaching. Bolivia and Mexico are believed to be the biggest exporters. Apart from the domestic trade, the military macaw is also in decline thanks to habitat loss from Mexico to Argentina. While the bird 's range is massive, it 's also highly fragmented, which makes the military macaw even more vulnerable. There 's believed to be an estimated 10,000-19,999