Comment on FR Doc # 2012-16445

The Scarlet Macaw(Ara macao) is a commonly kept and bred species in captivity. The United States captive population is in the many thousands, and the world captive population is >10,000 birds. FWS should consider this a distinct population, as they are geographically isolated from wild counterparts. This distinct population is large in number, increasing in number quickly, and in no danger of going extinct due to longevity, high reproductive rates, and virtually unlimited captive habitat. FWS cannot possibly consider this distinct population as endangered for the reasons above. If FWS does not find the captive population as distinct, then it must consider the wild and captive population together, as a single population. This combined population is large in number, increasing rapidly, and in no danger of extinction due to the above factors and virtually unlimited captive habitat. If FWS still wishes to exclude the captive population, then the captive population also must be excluded from the affects of a listing, such as a ban on interstate commerce.