Global Crossroad manages a wonderful conservation project in our Costa Rica Volunteer program, designed to protect two of the most threatened birds of South American. The first, the Great Green Macaw, Ara ambigua, is the second largest New World Psittacine. It has a limited distribution in lowland, wet, primarily Atlantic forests between eastern Honduras and northern Colombia. Currently, due to massive, rapid deforestation complicated by poaching nestlings for the pet trade, active nests are found in only 5 percent of the macaw's historic breeding range, As a direct consequence, the great green macaw is threatened by habitat loss and is currently recognized internationally as an endangered species. Because the macaw depends upon a complex array of food resources, dispersed over large areas, conserving its habitat will likely protect a multitude of other resident species about which we have little information. In addition, we selected this macaw as a focal species because of its potential for serving as a charismatic flagship that could rally national support for the corridor.

Our project to help the great green macaws is located in a protected area called Bosque del Toro in the San Carlos vicinity in the northern part of Costa Rica. There, volunteers will also work with another birds conservation organizations.

The second most threatened species, the Scarlet Macaw, is one of the most spectacular and rarest birds in the world. In Costa Rica, particularly in Tárcoles—the exact location of our Bird Conservation Project—we have one of the largest populations of these magnificent creatures. The Scarlet Macaw nests in the natural holes of the almond trees, and its primary food source is the almond tree fruit.

The Scarlet Macaw typically raises two chicks; however, the hatchlings usually have problems because the area does not contain enough nesting trees, and "laperos" take the little birds to sell illegally as pets.