Mini-macaws are a loosely defined group of small-to-medium-sized

macaw Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild. Biology Of the many differe ...

species within the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Arini. The term has no fixed taxonomic meaning and is principally used in

aviculture Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Types There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots a ...

to describe a small macaw belonging to one of a number of different

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, with overall length being the sole criterion for inclusion. Any macaw with an overall length (including the tail) of less than about 50 cm (20 inches) can be described as a "mini-macaw". Additionally, the "mini-" prefix may be added to the species name when describing the bird in question (e.g. "red-shouldered mini-macaw"). Mini-macaws are explicitly demarcated from large macaws in the Portuguese language by the term "maracanã", as opposed to "arara". In the pet trade, the term can be used to suggest that the species in question is better suited as a

companion parrot A companion parrot is a parrot kept as a pet that interacts abundantly with its human counterpart. Generally, most species of parrot can make excellent companions, but must be carefully managed around other common pet species like dogs and cats a ...

for owners with less space in their homes than would be required by one of the larger macaw species. However, most mini-macaws (aside from the red-shouldered macaw, which is parakeet sized) are still fairly large parrots and only "mini" in comparison to their larger relatives.

Species

In aviculture the following are sometimes called mini-macaws: * Chestnut-fronted, or severe macaw, ''Ara severa'' *

Golden-collared macaw The golden-collared macaw or yellow-collared macaw (''Primolius auricollis'') is a small mostly green Central South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It has a bright yellow patch on the back of its ...

, ''Primolius auricollis'' * Blue-winged, or Illiger's macaw, ''Primolius maracana'' *

Blue-headed macaw The blue-headed macaw or Coulon's macaw (''Primolius couloni'') is a macaw native to eastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia (mainly in Pando), and far western Brazil (in Acre). It has a total length of about 41 cm (16 in), making it a m ...

, ''Primolius couloni'' *

Red-bellied macaw The red-bellied macaw (''Orthopsittaca manilatus''), also known as ''Guacamaya Manilata'', is a medium-sized, mostly green South American parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are comm ...

, ''Orthopsittaca manilata'' * Red-shouldered, or Hahn's macaw, ''Diopsittaca nobilis'' The red-bellied macaw and blue-headed macaw are typically only found in captivity in a zoo setting, or as part of a breeding program and are rarely kept as pets.

References

External links

The Mini Macaw FAQ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mini-Macaw Aviculture Bird common names