Great Green Macaw
Ara ambiguus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPsittaciformes (Parrots)
- FamilyPsittacidae (New World and African Parrots)
- GenusAra
- SpeciesAra ambiguus (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. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw sighting in Darién National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Darién National Park
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Ara severus
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Ara ararauna
Red-and-green Macaw
Ara chloropterus
Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Red-lored Parrot
Amazona autumnalis
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
Blue-headed Parrot
Pionus menstruus
Mealy Parrot
Amazona farinosa
Spectacled Parrotlet
Forpus conspicillatus
Brown-hooded Parrot
Pionopsitta haematotis
Saffron-headed Parrot
Pionopsitta pyrilia
Yellow-crowned Parrot
Amazona ochrocephala
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Great Green Macaw in Darién National Park?
About 18% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw sighting in Darién National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great Green Macaw in Darién National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Great Green Macaw in Darién National Park in our monthly data.