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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON NEOTROPICAL BIOLOGY

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Notes and Comments

Seed dispersal of the palm Acrocomia aculeata by the

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna )
L. B. Silvaa,b* , G. A. Pereirac , P. B. Passos Filhod and N. M. Almeidaa,b 
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco – UFRPE, Departamento de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Laboratório
a

de Ecologia Reprodutiva de Angiospermas, Recife, PE, Brasil

b
Universidade Estadual de Alagoas – UNEAL, Campus III, Palmeira dos Índios, AL, Brasil
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco – UFRPE, Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Ornitologia, Recife, PE, Brasil
c

E-fauna – Consultoria Ambiental, Maceió, AL, Brasil

d

The order Psittaciformes comprises 420 species, in decline in several places and became extinct in some
including parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, lorikeets, pyrrhuras, areas of its original distribution (Caparroz, 2003). Its diet
and macaws (IUCN, 2021). These birds have a peculiar set consists of fruits and seeds of several plant species, as
of characteristics, such as zygodactyl feet, short neck, thick well as flowers and leaves, and even nectar (Collar, 1997).
and prehensile tongue, in addition to a strong, tall, and The macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata), also known as
curved beak, specialized in breaking hard seeds (Collar, macaúba palm, coyol palm, among other common names,
1997; Forshaw, 2010). is a native species in several tropical environments, whose
These animals are traditionally considered important stems can reach 10 to 15 m in height and 20 to 30 cm
predators of pre-dispersal seeds (Francisco et al., 2002; in diameter (Lorenzi et al., 2010). Fruits have a globose
Trivedi et al., 2004; Haugaasen, 2008). However, recent shape and are composed of a hard epicarp, a fibrous and
studies have drawn attention to the importance of mucilaginous mesocarp, and a woody endocarp, firmly
Psittaciformes in dispersing diaspores (Tella et al., 2015; adhered to the mesocarp (Lorenzi et al., 2010).
Tella et al., 2016; Blanco et al., 2016; Baños-Villalba et al., We collected 30 ripe fruits at random from three
2017; Blanco et al., 2018; Tella et al., 2019; Tella et al., individuals (10 from each tree), with a minimum distance
2020). In the Neotropical region, information about of 30 m between them, to obtain morphometric data and
these interactions are still scarce (Tella et al., 2016, 2020; proportion (%) of pulp (mesocarp). We measured the length
Bravo et al., 2020). In the present study, we recorded (distance between the insertion of the peduncle and the
the primary dispersal of seeds of the macaw palm, apex) and the diameter (greatest distance perpendicular
Acrocomia aculeate (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart. (Arecaceae), by to the axis) of fruits and seeds (seed surrounded by the
the Blue‑and‑yellow Macaw, (Ara ararauna) (Linnaeus, endocarp). We used a caliper with 0.1 mm precision for
1758) in the Brazilian Cerrado. measurements. We calculated the proportion of pulp based
The records were carried out in Caiapó Mountain Range on the relationship between the total mass of whole fruits
(17°09’45” S, 51°20’06” W; 572 m a.s.l.), in the municipality and the mass of the pulp. We measured masses using a
of Caiapônia, state of Goiás, Brazil. Observations took place scale with 0.1 g precision.
in a pasture area inserted in the cerrado stricto sensu, during We recorded 22 events of primary dispersion of seeds
the months of March and May 2015, from 8h00 to 11h00 of the macaw palm by the blue-and-yellow macaw. In
and from 14h00 to 17h00, totaling 28h of observations, all records, the macaws searched for ripe fruits on the
performed during 10 no-consecutive sunny days. We used trees and used the beak to pluck them at the peduncle
binoculars with magnitudes of 8 x 42 mm to observe the (Figure 1). Next, they flew with the fruit in their beak to
details of the interaction, cameras to record it and a GPS trees of other species, 40 to 300 m far from the mother
device to estimate the dispersion distance. plant (Figure 2). While perched, the birds held the fruit
The Blue-and-yellow Macaw is a large-sized parrot, with one foot and removed the epicarp with the beak.
reaching up to 86 cm in length with body mass ranging Then, they fed on the pulp and discarded the whole seed.
from 995 to 1380 g. It is one of the psittacids with the It was also possible to observe that the discarded seeds
broadest geographical distribution, occurring in eastern had scarifications on the endocarp, caused by the beak
Panama to Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, during the removal of the pulp.
Bolivia, and Paraguay. It occurs in almost all Brazil, including The fruits had, on average, 46.08 ± 2.28 mm in diameter
the North, Northeast and Midwest regions (BirdLife and 41.40 ± 2.45 mm in length, and 31.34% of pulp. The
International, 2021). Although it is not included in national seeds had, on average, 33.16 ± 2.78 mm in diameter and
and international red lists, the Blue-and-yellow Macaw is 28.48 ± 2.07 mm in length. These attributes classified these

*e-mail: [email protected]
Received: October 18, 2020 – Accepted: February 12, 2021
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2023, vol. 83, e244697  |  https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.244697 1/3

Silva, L.B. et al.

Figure 1. Seed dispersal of the macaw palm, (Acrocomia aculeata), by the Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) in a Cerrado area in
the state of Goiás, Brazil. (A) Blue-and-yellow Macaws collecting fruits; (B) Blue-and-yellow Macaw flying with the fruit in its beak;
(C) Blue-and-yellow Macaw feeding on the pulp; (D) Seed discarded by the Blue-and-yellow Macaw. Photos: Leonardo B da Silva
(A, B, and D) and Glauco A. Pereira ©.

In the family Arecaceae, species propagate mainly

through seeds, but, in general, their germination is slow,
occurs at a low percentage and under the influence of
several factors, such as the physical dormancy imposed
by the woody endocarp (Lorenzi et al., 2010; Neves et al.,
2013). Scarification caused by macaws during the removal
of the pulp is an intervention that may increase the
germination speed and rate, as the endocarp surface may
be exposed to water and gases (Lorenzi et al., 2010). In sites
where birds discarded seeds, it was possible to observe
some seedlings of the macaw palm, suggesting successful
seed dispersion by blue-and-yellow macaws. In fact, the
Figure 2. Distribution of seed dispersal distances of the macaw palm,
(Acrocomia aculeata), by the Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) perches used by macaws during feeding can have a positive
in a Cerrado area in the state of Goiás, Brazil. relationship with the special distribution of immature
palms (Baños‑Villalba et al., 2017; Tella et al., 2020).
Macaws can perch for a long time on the same tree
fruits into the so-called “megafauna syndrome”, that is, while feeding (about 30 minutes; personal observation).
large fruits whose seeds are dispersed by large terrestrial However, in our study, we observed that the crown of the
vertebrates (Guimarães Junior et al., 2008). However, our macaw palm trees did not provide a stable structure for
records (100%) showed that the blue-and-yellow macaw birds to perch while feeding, which forced them to fly
could be an efficient disperser of these diaspores, as it with the fruit in their beak to trees bearing stable perches.
showed great ability in collecting and transporting them After eating the pulp, birds returned to collect more fruits.
to places far from the mother plant. This ability to disperse This behavior was repeated several times and probably
great fruits over long distances, was also observed for resulted from the low proportion of pulp of macaw palm
other species of macaws (see Baños-Villalba et al., 2017; fruits, so that macaws had to collect a large number of
Blanco et al., 2019; Tella et al., 2020). fruits during feeding activity.

2/3 Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2023, vol. 83, e244697

 Seed dispersal by the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

As psittacids are widely known as seed predators, COLLAR, N.J., 1997. Family Psittacidae (parrots). In: J. DEL HOYO,
they have been neglected as dispersers (Blanco et al., J. A. ELLIOT. and J. SARGATAL, eds. Handbook of the birds of the
2016; Montesinos-Navarro et al., 2017; Blanco et al., world. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-477, vol. 4: Sangrouse
to cuckoos.
2018; Tella et al., 2019). Despite that, macaws can be
efficient in dispersing large diaspores, as they can collect FORSHAW, J.M., 2010. Parrots of the world. Oxford: Princenton
and transport them over long distances. In a scenario of University Press.
intense defaunation, it is important to look at the role of FRANCISCO, M.R., OLIVEIRA LUNARDI, V. and GALETTI, M., 2002.
psittacids in seed dispersal process, these birds can occupy Massive seeds predation of Pseudo bombax grandiflorum
a niche left by large frugivorous vertebrates (Tella et al., (Bombacaceae) by parakeets Brotogeris versicolurus (Psittacidae)
in a forest fragment in Brazil. Biotropica, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 613-
2020). Therefore, studies that investigate the fruit diet and
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feeding behavior of these animals in the wild, associated
with the reproductive ecology of plants, are necessary to GUIMARÃES JUNIOR, P.R., GALETTI, M. and JORDANO, P., 2008.
Seed dispersal anachronisms: rethinking the fruits extinct
answer questions such as: what is the importance of these
megafauna ate. PLoS One, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. e1745. http://dx.doi.
birds for the recovery of degraded areas? and what are the
org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001745. PMid:18320062.
consequences of breaking these ecological interactions?
HAUGAASEN, T., 2008. Seed predation of Couratari guianensis
(Lecythidaceae) by macaws in central Amazonia, Brazil.
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Acknowledgements
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE –
The authors thank the Messias Perez and Ms. Cida, for IUCN, 2021 [viewed 28 January 2021]. Red List of Threatened
Species, Version 2019-3 [online]. Available from: http://www.
their kind hospitality and help in the fieldwork, and Agricert
iucnredlist.org/
Agro Mercantil Ltda., for financial and logistical support.
LORENZI, H., NOBLICK, L.K., KAHN, F. and FERREIRA, E., 2010. Flora
Brasileira: Arecaceae (palmeiras). Plantarum: São Paulo.
MONTESINOS-NAVARRO, A., HIRALDO, F., TELLA, J.L. and BLANCO,
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