The BRI 2013-2014 Scarlet macaw eco-tourism and breed and release project ended when the cruise ships did not return to the new port in Trujillo, Honduras the next year.

The scarlet macaw from Honduras is a large bird with a broad yellow band across its wings with blue tips to the yellow feathers at the edge of the yellow band. Very few Honduran scarlet macaws are seen in the US as pets. Scarlet macaws are mostly gone from Northern Honduras. Reports suggest that in the areas they remain, this year has been an especially bad year for nest poaching, with very few chicks being allowed to fledge before the nests are robbed.

The goal of the project is to set up a self-sustaining repopulation program while simultaneously expanding knowledge of the reintroduction process itself. 

This project was in the early development stage. Chris Biro spent several months the winter of 2013 in Honduras working with birds supplied by ICF of the Honduran government. Our first goal was creating attractions with the birds for the cruise ship guests that were visiting weekly. Creating self-funding operations was an important part of our goal to create an effective self-sustaining repopulation program. 

Chris Biro made the initial survey of the project site and met with project partners in Honduras in November 2013. Constance Woodman was on site October 2014 after attending a Honduran National Conference in Copan focused on preserving the scarlet macaw in Honduras. Constance established BRI as a founding coalition partner in the newly formed Apu Pauni Alliance, which in the Honduran Miskito language means Alianza Guara Roja, or Red Macaw Alliance. 

Though it was disappointing it was a great learning experience.

We are excited again be working in Honduras with the great green macaw. Should our breeding facility obtain breeding scarlet macaws we may expand this project to also include the release of scarlet macaws. There is also the possibility that BRI may offer assistance to other projects already working with scarlets macaws since some of the people involved the great green macaw project are also working with scarlet macaws.