The three subspecies of the military macaw are distinguished geographically. A. m. militaris are found in areas of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. A. m. mexicana occupy areas in Mexico and A. m. boliviana live in Bolivia and Argentina. The military 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. Conservation status Military macaws are estimated to only have a breeding population of 2000-7000 individuals and is continuing to decrease. According to the ICUN red list, military macaws are listed as vulnerable as they face threats from habitat loss due to crops, deforestation, mining, and roads, with already extremely fragmented populations. A 2013 paper found that the habitat for populations in tropical dry forests has been reduced by almost 32%. Military macaws are listed as CITES Appendix 1 which means commercial international trade in wild specimens is prohibited. Despite this, research shows that the trafficking of parrots from South America to North America is still common. Their narrow diet is also of concern. If the environment were to take a hit and they lost access to too many of their diet species, the species could be greatly affected. There is promise however in that they have a less narrow diet during certain times of the year showing that they may have the ability to adapt if they did lose their typical diet species. Another conservation concern may be genetic diversity. Military macaws actually have moderate genetic diversity despite their small population, which points to a large ancestral population. Though they have moderate genetic diversity, they are still risk of population bottlenecks due to habitat fragmentation and inbreeding. Gallery References External links military macaw military macaw Birds of Mexico Birds of the Northern Andes Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental military macaw military macaw Articles containing video clips Species endangered by the pet trade Species endangered by deforestation Birds of the Sierra Madre del Sur Birds of the Sierra Madre Oriental Birds of the Yungas nah:Tōztli