SummaryThe Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA) contains the largest population of Scarlet Macaws Ara macao in Costa Rica. Despite their influence on ecosystem dynamics and status as a flagship species, empirical data on the foraging patterns of this population is lacking. This information is crucial in implementing effective conservation strategies, particularly reintroduction attempts. Observations of feeding behaviour were made systematically over a 12-month period to provide the first direct examination of Scarlet Macaw diet within the ACOSA region. Scarlet Macaws feed on various items including seeds, flowers, bark, and leaf-gall larvae. Key findings included a demonstration of a smaller dietary niche breadth than that recorded for other Central American populations, use of button mangrove Conocarpus erectus, a species not previously recognised as a food source for Scarlet Macaws, and a heavy reliance on an exotic non-native species, Terminalia catappa. We argue that whilst human-modified coastal locations may present viable habitat for Scarlet Macaws, anthropogenic influences including the removal of native food sources and proliferation of exotic and cultivated species have left the Scarlet Macaws of the ACOSA particularly dependent on a small number of species.

中文翻译：

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哥斯达黎加 Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA) 的猩红金刚鹦鹉 Ara macao 的饮食范围减少：对保护和生态旅游的影响

摘要保护区奥萨 (ACOSA) 拥有最大的猩红色金刚鹦鹉种群澳门阿拉在哥斯达黎加。尽管它们对生态系统动态和作为旗舰物种的地位有影响，但缺乏关于该种群觅食模式的经验数据。这些信息对于实施有效的保护策略至关重要，特别是重新引入尝试。在为期 12 个月的时间内系统地观察了摄食行为，以首次直接检查 ACOSA 地区猩红金刚鹦鹉的饮食。猩红色金刚鹦鹉以各种食物为食，包括种子、花朵、树皮和叶瘿幼虫。主要发现包括证明饮食生态位宽度比其他中美洲人群记录的更小，使用纽扣红树林锥果，一种以前不被认为是猩红金刚鹦鹉食物来源的物种，并且严重依赖外来的非本地物种，Terminalia catappa。我们认为，虽然人类改造的沿海地区可能为猩红金刚鹦鹉提供可行的栖息地，但人为影响，包括去除本地食物来源以及外来和栽培物种的扩散，使 ACOSA 的猩红金刚鹦鹉特别依赖少数物种。