become neurotic/phobic, which is problematic. Distribution and habitat The hyacinth macaw occurs today in three main areas in South America: In the Pantanal region of Brazil, and adjacent eastern Bolivia and northeastern Paraguay, in the cerrado regions of the eastern interior of Brazil (Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Tocantins, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Minas Gerais), and in the relatively open areas associated with the Tocantins River, Xingu River, Tapajós River, and the Marajó island in the eastern Amazon Basin of Brazil. Smaller, fragmented populations may occur in other areas. Over the last few decades the known range in Bolivia has grown. It is well known from the far southeast of the country near the tri-national border point with Brazil and Paraguay, where it is considered an emblematic symbol of the region, and locals often feed the macaws maize, like chickens. In the early 1990s it became apparent the species also occurred in the remote Noel Kempff Mercado National Park area a few hundred kilometres northward. Most of the Bolivian population of this macaw is thought to be found in the San Matías Integrated Management Natural Area, an area with extensive pantanal (swamp). Censuses conducted within in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014, revealed stable population numbers: respectively 231, 107, 134, and 166. Bird counts in such a swampy and difficult to navigate terrain are inherently inadequate. The censuses were performed by visiting locations with previous reported sightings, however, it was not always possible to visit all sites, coverage varied. Thus in 2011 the earlier estimated population of about 300 birds in this area was considered to be largely accurate. A 2014 study which correlated sightings to habitat and extrapolated this over a larger area found the birds occur in the northern part of the Natural Area, and a similar population likely also occurs in an equally sized area to the north of this, outside of the Natural Area. In a 2018 Mongabay Latam article, park rangers relate that there is anecdotal evidence the population was increasing and spreading, as more sightings were being reported by local inhabitants and the bird was now confirmed for the first time in a number of adjacent municipalities. The hyacinth macaw has escaped or been deliberately released in to Florida, USA, but there is no evidence that the population is breeding and may only persist due to continuing releases or escapes. It prefers semi-open,