Hyacinth Macaw
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
Hyacinth Macaw
Description: This is an unforgettable bird – entirely deep, rich cobalt blue with a high gloss to the plumage. The under side of the tail is dark grey. A surprising contrast is provided by the yellow skin surround the eye and bordering the lower mandible; also the tongue is yellow with the tip black. The bill is dark grey, almost black, and the legs are dark grey. The iris is dark brown. In total length, including the long tail, this macaw measures about 100 cm (34″), thus is the longest of all parrots. Weight is 2 kg (4.5 lbs).
In immature birds, the tail is shorter.
Range/Habitat: They origin from southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia and northeastern Paraguay.
This species is seen in pairs or small groups.
It is most numerous in the Mato Grosso.
Its habitat includes forest, swamp, palm groves. Its diet consist of palm and other nuts, fruits and seeds.
Lear’s Macaw
Anodorhychus leari
Lear's Macaw
Description: It is mainly dull cobalt blue, the head and under parts being tinged with green. The inner webs of the primaries, the under wing coverts and under side of the tail are blackish. The tongue is black with a yellow stripe in each side.
Length: 75 cm (29″)
Range/Habitat: Brazil
Its population is believed to be in the region of 100, making it perhaps the most endangered species of parrots.
This macaw has always been an extreme rarity in aviculture.
Glaucous Macaw
Anodorhychus glaucus
Glaucos Macaw
Description: It is greenish blue, more greenish below: the head and neck have a grey tinge and the throat and upper breast are suffused with greyish brown. The primaries and the under wing coverts, are blackish. The bare skin surrounding the eye is yellow, that at the base of the lower mandible being a paler shade of yellow. The bill is grey -black and the iris is dark brown.
Length: 72 cm (28″)
Range/Habitat: Paraguay, north – eastern Argentina and south – eastern Brazil.
It is most unknown in captivity and nothing has been recorded about it.
Spix’s Macaw
Cyanopsitta spixii
Spix's Macaw
Description: This single member of its genus is very different in appearance from the blue macaws , in fact, from any other macaw. The comparatively small beak an the small area of naked skin on the face- which extends only from the lores to surround the eyes – makes this the least typical of the large macaws. The beak is black an the naked skin is dark grey, which gives prominence to the light yellow iris. Its soft colours are far less eye – catching than those of the members of the Anodorhynchus.
The forehead and ear coverts are grey tinged with blue, the head being otherwise greyish blue. The plumage is dark blue above, lighter blue below. The under side of the tail is dark grey.
Length: 56 cm (22 in).
Immature birds are darker with the tail shorter. The bill is greyish black with horn-coloured markings along the culmen.
Range/Habitat: This extremely rare macaw is on the least known of South American parrots.
It inhabits north – eastern Brazil.
Blue and Gold Macaw
Ara ararauna
Description: This is on of the most magnificent of all parrots.
Rich sky blue above and golden yellow below, it cannot be mistaken for any other macaw. The primaries and tail are a darker shade of blue; the under tail coverts are light sky blue and the under side of the tail is dull yellow, the feathers having dusky edges.
The forehead and forepart of the crown are green, the ear coverts and the sides of the neck are yellow and the feathers of the throat and just below are black. The extensive white skin of the facial area is unfeathered except for several narrow lines of tiny greenish black feathers. The beak is black an the iris is pale yellow. Length: about 85 cm (33 in), one half of which is accounted for by the tail. Weigth: about 1400 g (3 lb). Immature birds resemble adults, except for the dark iris.
Range/Habitat: The Blue and Gold Macaw had an immense range over almost the entire northern part of South America, except the western coast and norther Columbia and northern Venezuela. It is found from Panama, extending to Bolivia.
Caninde ( Blue-Throated ) Macaw
Ara glaucogularis
Blue Throated Macaw
Description: It differs from the Blue and Gold Macaw in th colouration of the area covering part of the cheeks and ear coverts and beneath the throat which is blue instead of black. The smaller area of bare skin adds to the beauty of this macaw. The size is the same or fractionally larger then that of the Blue and Gold.
Range/Habitat: Bolivia
Military Macaw
Ara militaris militaris
Military Macaws
Description: The head is light green and the wings an back of an olive shade. The throat is brown. There is a bluish tinge on the hind neck and the greater wing covets and the outer edge of the primaries are blue. The lower back , rump and upper tail coverts are light blue. The tail is maroon, deeply tipped with blue and the under side of the tail and flight feathers is olive-yellow.The large area of bare skin on the cheek is decorated with several narrow lines of black feathers. Bill and legs are grey – black and the iris is yellow. Length: about 70 cm ( 28″).
Immature birds resemble adults but for the duller plumage and dark iris.
Range/Habitat: Mexico, South America
Buffon’s Macaw
Ara m. ambigua
Buffon's Macaw
Description: Buffon’s Macaw differs from the Military principally in its large size – about 85 cm ( 34″) , and yellower shade of green.
Immature birds are less brightly coloured than adults, with indistinct margins of yellowish green on the scapulars and also on the inner secondaries.
Both this race and the Military are easily distinguished from other Macaws by the combination of mainly green plumage and by the small, dense feathers of the forehead.
Range/Habitat: Central America
Red – Fronted Macaw
Ara rubrogenys
Red - Fronted Macw
Description: It is one of the least known of all the parrots of South America. Intermediate in length between the large macaws and the small members of the same genus, often known as dwarf macaws, it measures 60 cm (24″). Its colouration is also distinctive, for it is mainly green ( of an olive shade whis is closes to that of the Military) enhanced by areas of orange – red. The latter are found on the forehead, crown and a small area behind the eye and on the bend and carpal edge of the wing and the lesser olive green plumage is brightest on the head. Greater under wing coverts and the under side of the tail are olive – yellow. The tail is green above, tipped with blue, and the primaries and their coverts are greyish blue. The naked facial area is small; there are narrow lines of tiny black feathers on the lores. The bare skin around the eye is pink and the iris is orange. Bill and legs are dark grey.
Immature birds have orange confined to the forehead, with pale orange on the lesser wing coverts and the thighs tinged with orange.
Plumage is variable in adult birds so that individuals can be recognized by the marking on the head.
Range/Habitat: South America
They feed on corn and fruits, including cactus fruits. These macaws are usually seen in pairs and groups .
Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Scarlet Macaws
Description: This macaw is perhaps the gaudiest of all parrots, yet some individual feathers show the most subtle and unusual colors. This magnificent bird is mainly scarlet; there is a broad band of yellow across the wing formed by the greater and median wing coverts. Part of this area is tinged with green in some birds. The flight feathers are dark blue and the lower back and rump and upper and under tail coverts are sky blue. The tail is scarlet, tinged with blue at the tip of the central feathers, the outer ones being almost entirely blue. The under side of the wings and tail is orange – red and brownish.
The large area of whitish skin extending from above the eye, across the cheeks and lores to the lower mandible, is transversed by minute lines of red feathers, scarcely visible from a distance. The upper mandible is white, tipped with black on the upper edge; the lower mandible is black. The iris is yellow and the legs are dark grey.
Length: about 85 cm ( 34″). Weight: about 1 kg ( 2.25 lb).
Immature birds have the lower mandible greyish and the iris brown. The tail is shorter. Some birds have more green on the wings than adults.
Range/Habitat: The Scarlet Macaw has a wide range , being found from Mexico south through Central America and Columbia.
The Scarlet macaw is undoubtedly on of the best known of all parrots and had a long captive history.
Green-winged Macaw
Ara chloroptera
Green - Winged Macaw
Description: The Green – winged is easily distinguished from the Scarlet by the lack of yellow in its plumage, its darked shade of red and shorter tail, which results in a slightly disproportional appearance. It is larger, with a larger head and beak. There is considerable variation in the size, some Green-wings being extremely large and almost approaching the Hyacinth in body size. It measures approximately 90 cm (35″) and is the second largest macaw. Weight: about 1500 g (3 lb).
Head, under parts, under wing coverts and part of the mantle are crimson. The wings are green and blue, the median coverts, inner secondaries,tertials and scapulars being green and the secondaries and primaries blue.
Back, rump and upper tail covets, also the under tail covets, are light blue. The tail is dark, also under side of the flight feathers.The otherwise naked facial area is adorned with half a dozen or more prominent lines of very small red feathers. The upper mandible is mainly horn-colored, being black on the upper part of the cutting edge; the lower mandible is black.
Immature birds have the dark areas of the beak paler and the iris brown.
The tail is shorter.
Range/Habitat: The Green-winged Macaw has a wide distribution from Panama over almost the entire tropical region of South America.
This species occurs mainly in humid lowland forest. It sometimes uses cliffs as nesting sites and has been seed digging burrows in cliff faces on river canyons.
Dwarf Macaws
They make extremely attractive pets, being intelligent, affectionate and playful and of a size which is much more convenient for the average house.
Yellow -Collared Macaw
Yellow - Collared Macaw
Description: This bird is intermediately recognized by the yellow collar encircling the hind neck, a feature found in no other macaw. The forehead, crown and lower cheeks are brownish black and the primaries, primary coverts and carpal edge of the wing are blue.The tail is blue above, brownish red towards the base and olive yellow below, the latter being the color of the under side of the flight feathers.The naked facial area is creamy white and the bill is black, the upper mandible having a light horn-colored tip. The iris is orange.Length 38 cm (16″).Weight: about 250 g ( 8 oz) . Immature birds have fainter and less extensive yellow markings.The colors usually start to change at about three months.
Range/Habitat: Brazil, parts of Bolivia , Paraguay and Argentina.
Severe Macaw
Ara severa
Severe Macaw
Description: This is one of the least distinctive of the macaws; it can be recognized by its chestnut-colored forehead, which has given rise to alternative name Chestnut-fronted Macaw. A prominent feature is the red on the bend of the wing and on the lesser under wing coverts. The head is green; the crown may be blue or tinged with blue.The large area of bare skin on the face is creamy white, decorated with lines of very small black feathers.The feathers on the chin and the margin of the cheeks are chestnut in color. Outer webs of the primaries are dull olive. The tail is reddish brown above with green toward s the base; it is tipped with blue. The under side is pinkish red. Length: about 48 cm (19″).
Range/Habitat: It has an extremely wide distribution over almost the entire norther part of South America.
Among the foods it is known to favor are figs and the seeds of the jabillo tree. It is common over much of its range and tolerates forest clearance well. However , it has declined in Ecuador.
Red – Bellied Macaw
Ara manilata
Red - Bellied Macaw
Description: This species is mainly green with the lower abdomen and ventral area maroon. There is a large area of naked dull yellowish skin on the face. The feathers of the crown are blue with blackish bases; the primaries, primary coverts and outermost greater wing coverts are blue, edged with green. The feathers of the throat and upper breast are edged with pale blue- grey , shading into light greenish yellow on the under parts. The under wing coverts are blue-green, tinged with yellowish or yellow. The rather small beak is black and the iris is dark brown. Upper parts, including the tail, are green; the under side of the tail is olive yellow. Length: about 48 cm (19″). Weight: 280 g (10 oz).
Immature birds have the blackish or brownish feathers on the head.
Range/Habitat: This macaw has a very extensive distribution over norther South America, from Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador to Peru.
Palm swamps are a favored habitat; this macaw is also found in parklands, plantations and savannah county. It feeds extensively on the fruits of mauritia palms. The Red-Bellied Macaw is one of the most abundant in the wild, and rare in captivity, presumably because it is difficult to establish.
Illiger’s Macaw
Ara maracana
Illiger's Macaw
Description: This bird is immediately distinguished by the scarlet forehead and by the patches of red on the abdomen and lower back. The crown is blue and the rest of the head is bluish green. The primaries, primary coverts and the secondaries are blue; some of the upper wing coverts are tinged with blue. The tail feathers are blue, tinged with reddish brown at the base; the under side is olive yellow. Remainder of the plumage is green. The bill is black , the naked facial area is very pale yellow and the iris is reddish brown or dark brown. Length: 43 cm (16.5″). Weight: 250g (9 oz). Immature birds have the red on the forehead paler and less extensive.
Range/Habitat: South America, eastern Brazil, Paraguay, north – eastern Argentina.
Coulon’s Macaw
Ara couloni
Coulon's Macaw
Description: In this species , the head is entirely blue, giving rise to the alternative name of Blue – headed Macaw. The primaries and primary coverts are blue and the secondaries and outermost upper wing coverts are blue edged with green. The tail is maroon above, broadly tipped with blue; under side of flight and tail feathers is dull yellow. Remainder of the plumage is green. The bare facial skin is grey, the bill is black and horn-colored and iris is yellow. Length: 41 cm (16″).
Range/Habitat: Eastern Peru and areas of western Brazil.
Hanh’s Macaw
Ara nobilis nobilis
Hanh's Macaw
Description: This is the most diminutive of the “dwarf ” macaw, smaller even than several species of conure. It has a small area of naked skin surrounding the eye – but the lores are naked , thus distinguishing it from the conures. It is predominantly green, more yellowish below, with the crown and forehead blue. The carpal edge, bend of the wing and greater under wing coverts are scarlet; under side of tail and flight feathers are yellowish.The naked facial skin is white and the iris is brownish red. Length: 30 cm (12″).
Immature birds have less blue on the head and no red on the bend and carpal edge of the wing.
Range/Habitat: This species has a wide range north of the Amazon in eastern Venezuela, north -eastern Brazil.
It prefers partially open habitats .
Noble Macaw
Ara n. cumanensin
Noble Macaw
Description: The difference between the Noble and Hanh’s Macaw is that the Noble Macaw has the upper mandible pale horn-colored with a black tip. It is also slight larger , being about 34 cm (13″) in length.
Range/Habitat: South of the Amazon, Brazil
Hybrid Macaws
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