Parrots in Copan Ruinas (Honduras): Meetings full of colours | The Family Without Borders

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Parrots in Copan Ruinas (Honduras): Meetings full of colours

A Parrot in Copan Ruinas (Honduras)

We are in Honduras! And what is the national bird of Honduras? The amazing Scarlet Macaws (parrots): the bird-dream of every photographer. Like many other parrots and toucans, you can meet them in tropical forest between south Mexico to Amazonian Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. And you can be sure – you will remember those meetings!

So symbolic: huge (up to 80 cm), colourful parrots, sitting on your arm and looking into your eyes. There are many exciting birds in the jungle in Honduras, but nothing can compare with Scarlet Macaws (and same size: Red-and-green Macaw and Blue-and-yellow Macaw). The name derives from their colour: scarlet, from Persian, is a bright red. Their tails are very long – it takes more than half the length of their body. They are not very picky eaters: they eat basically any tropical fruits and nuts they can find. What is really interesting that they mate for life (which means for 50 years!) and that without DNA check it’s difficult to distinguish male and female.

In different corners of our trip we had a chance to meet some flocks of parrots, or a pair flying above the forest canopy. But you never know when will this moment happen, and when it comes, the most probable is that Mila wants to drink or Hanna wants to pee. Exactly in this moment.

Where to meet the parrots in Honduras?

But there are nice places like nature reserves, where you can actually be sure to meet the parrots. In the nature reservers they take care about sick parrots, or where the host parrots which we taken by police from smugglers.

In those reserves, other people free them, feed at the beginning and they are slowly again getting used to natural environment. It is illegal to buy, sell or use in any commercial activities those Scarlet Macaws but you can often see Maya people collecting their feathers in the jungle. I’ve got for example beautiful earrings with a feather of a very green, small parrot.

We stayed for two days in a nice clean, family run hostel in Copan Ruinas (Honduras) near the border crossing to Guatemala. In Copan Ruianas we visited the “Paris of the Maya World“, but also the Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve.

We decided to visit this reserve mainly because of the girls, that they can easily see the parrots, without breaking their necks while watching the sky in the jungle. But to be honest, we were both so excited about contact with them that we couldn’t leave the place for some hours.

In the park you can meet many different parrots, but also many other birds like different Toucans, Aracaris, Parakeets. We can absolutely recommend this park and the work they do.

Hanna made her first picture ever (which is really cool, what do you think?) and of course from now on: what do they want to take home from the trip? At least a small parrot. Or this funny toucan.

 


Our first book is out!

We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »

4 Comments

  • Posted August 25, 2012 at 17:47 | Permalink

    I simply adore the photo of Hanna with the parrot. It clearly presents the size of the bird!

    Reply
  • Posted August 31, 2012 at 17:23 | Permalink

    bardzo dobre zdjecia. I cieszy mnie to ze jestescie tak dopasowana para. Tak mozna swiat zdobywac.

    Reply
  • Posted September 6, 2012 at 15:40 | Permalink

    What a colour-extravaganza! Stunning photos! Agreed with Magda: Hanna is very cute with the parrot.

    Reply
  • Peter & Sandy Monals
    Posted August 26, 2014 at 13:52 | Permalink

    Gooood! We visit this place last december…. wonderful birds, the toucan follow us!

    Reply

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