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Great Green Macaw
Ara ambiguus
Silhouette: Myriam_Ramirez · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPsittaciformes (Parrots)
- FamilyPsittacidae (New World and African Parrots)
- GenusAra
- SpeciesAra ambiguus (Great Green Macaw)
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
57 Verified sightings at Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge From 2019 to 2026
643 In all 6 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Great Green Macaw
The great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), also known as Buffon's macaw or the great military macaw, is a critically endangered Central and South America parrot found in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized; the nominate subspecies, Ara ambiguus ssp. ambiguus, occurs from Honduras to Colombia, while Ara ambiguus ssp. guayaquilensis appears to be endemic to remnants of dry forests on the southern Pacific coast of Ecuador. The nominate subspecies lives in the canopy of wet tropical forests and in Costa Rica is usually associated with the almendro tree, Dipteryx oleifera.
The great green macaw belongs to the genus Ara, which includes other large parrots, such as the scarlet macaw, the military macaw, and the blue-and-yellow macaw. This bird was first described and illustrated in 1801 by the French naturalist François Le Vaillant for his Histoire Naturelle Des Perroquets under the name "le grand Ara militaire", using a skin deposited at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Le Vaillant states that it is not certain if the bird is truly a distinct species of parrot, or, as he thinks more likely, it... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Recording0:18
Costa Rica · 2025
© Lena Struwe · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:15
Costa Rica · 2026
© Martin W · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
Costa Rica · 2026
© Luis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Great Green Macaw in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Great Green Macaw in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Great Green Macaw in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge?
May, July and October
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Great Green Macaw?
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Green Macaw sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge the best place to see a Great Green Macaw?
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Great Green Macaw sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%).
Which relatives of the Great Green Macaw live in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge?
Same family: Psittacidae
The closest relatives of the Great Green Macaw that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are Red-lored Parrot (about 50%), Mealy Parrot (about 30%) and Orange-chinned Parakeet (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Great Green Macaw sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Green Macaw is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (57 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
