10/10/2026
The Phoenix Zoo and conservation partners, World Parrot Trust and Fundación CLB, are excited to announce a significant milestone with the successful hatching of two hyacinth macaw chicks in an artificial nest box in the San Matías Integrated Management Natural Area (ANMI), located in the Bolivian Pantanal.
The chicks, named Saturnina and Avelino, represent the first documented successful use of an artificial nest box for breeding hyacinth macaws in Bolivia. The names of the chicks were chosen by local rangers and honor historic settlers of the land.
The achievement is the result of a collaborative conservation effort involving Fundación Conservación Loros Bolivia (CLB), World Parrot Trust, Bolivia’s National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP), park rangers from ANMI San Matías, and local communities with support from the Phoenix Zoo.
For the Phoenix Zoo, the hatchings are especially meaningful because they build on a strategic conservation partnership. Thanks in part to Zoo admission and membership revenue, the Zoo has provided funding for the artificial nest box project for three consecutive years through its Conservation and Science Grant Program, with support directed to World Parrot Trust for conservation work in Bolivia.
Hyacinth macaws are the largest parrots in the world and are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This project addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing hyacinth macaws in the Bolivian Pantanal: the loss of suitable nesting habitat. Recurring fires and habitat degradation have reduced the availability of mature trees with natural cavities large enough for the birds to nest, while increasing competition among wildlife for the remaining cavities. Artificial nest boxes provide an additional breeding option while conservationists continue monitoring the species and its habitat.
