A 2007 study conducted on "Ara ambiguus" ssp. "guayaquilensis" in southwest Ecuador showed the most important food plant by far was "Cynometra bauhiniifolia", producing more food than all other food plants combined. It further revealed that the abundance of food within a habitat is not related to the abundance of macaw, however, the researchers found that there was a link between the abundance of food and the amount of time great green macaws spend at one place. A popular food plant and nesting tree in Ecuador is also "Vitex gigantea".