Scarlet macaw Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Scarlet macaw

Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Subfamily:	Psittacinae
Binomial name
*Ara macao* Linnaeus, 1758

Range shown by the red area

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large red, yellow, and blue Central and South American parrot. It belongs to a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The bird is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical Central and South America.

Description
Behavior
- Feeding
- Breeding
Distribution and habitat
Conservation status
Images for kids
See also

Description

The scarlet macaw is about 81 centimeters (32 in) long. It weighs about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). The bird's pointed, graduated tail makes up more than half of its body.

Their plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upper wing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red. Some individuals may have green in the wings.

At Fort Worth Zoo

There is bare white skin around the eye and from there to the bill. Tiny white feathers are contained on the face patch. The upper mandible is mostly pale horn in color and the lower is black. Juveniles have dark eyes; adults have light yellow eyes.

The scarlet macaw is frequently confused with the slightly larger green-winged macaw, which has more distinct red lines in the face and no yellow in the wing.

Scarlet macaws make very loud, high and sometimes low-pitched, throaty squawks, squeaks and screams designed to carry many miles to call for their groups.

The scarlet macaw can live up to 75 or even 90 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years.

Behavior

Scarlet macaws are rarely seen in flocks. They are usually spotted on their own or in pairs. However, birds may gather at clay licks. Scarlet macaws use different vocalizations for communication. Captive macaws can mimic human speech.

Ara macao feeding on Attalea fruits

Feeding

Scarlet macaws eat mostly fruits, nuts and seeds, including large, hard seeds and sodium packed dirt. They also love to eat insects and larvae. They feed heavily on bugs, snails and foliage. Snails and bugs are a great source of protein for macaws during their breeding seasons. They also add flowers and nectar to their diet.

Breeding

Scarlet macaws may be quite aggressive during periods of breeding. These birds remain with one partner throughout their lives. The hen lays two or three white eggs in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs for about five weeks, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 90 days after hatching, leaving their parents about a year later. The young reach sexual maturity at five years of age.

Distribution and habitat

Scarlet macaws inhabit humid lowland subtropical rain forests, open woodlands, river edges, and savannas.

The bird's estimated territorial range covers 6,700,000 km². The species can be found in the the Amazon basin, extending to Peru east of the Andes, to Bolivia.

Scarlet macaw in flight

In Central America, the range extends from extreme eastern and southern Mexico and Panama through Guatemala and Belize, the island of Coiba and infrequently on the mainland of Panama, and in Costa Rica in isolated regions on the Pacific Coast; the Nicoya Peninsula the Carara National Park and Peninsula de Osa.

Conservation status

The species has been classified by IUCN as least concern. Its wild population is currently estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 individuals.

Commercial international trade in the species (including parts and derivatives) is prohibited by the bird's listing under CITES Appendix 1 due to poaching for the pet trade.

The northern subspecies, A. m. cyanopterus, is listed as endangered by the USFWS. The USFWS estimates that only 2,000–3,000 birds of the northern subspecies remain in the wild.