LINCOLN PARK — A rare Blue-throated Macaw — one of the less than 400 in the world — will be on display at the Nature Museum through the spring as part of a new exhibit focusing on rainforests.
Rainforest Adventure is designed to introduce children as well as adults to the beauty and diversity of rainforests while shows the connections between those ecosystems and our own in Chicago.
“Chicago is connected to rainforests in ways people often don’t realize,” said Deborah Lahey, the Nature Museum’s president and CEO. “After immersing themselves in Rainforest Adventure, we hope people will be inspired to make choices in their everyday lives that can help preserve the health of rainforests.”
The exhibit features five different species of live animals, the Blue-throated Macaw, Violaceous-Turaco, Green Tree Python, Powder Blue Poison Dart Frogs and Spectacles Caiman.
Blue-throated Macaws, the rarest birds represented in the exhibit, are only found in Bolivia at an altitude of 200 to 300 meters above sea-level, according to the University of Michigan.
There are also a number of specimens including the Peach-faced Lovebird, Salmon-crested Cockatoo and Double-Toothed Barbet.
Other aspects of the exhibit include a chance to climb a model kapok tree and explore a gorilla nest.
The exhibit will run through the spring.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
