Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful, in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Arini. They are popular in

aviculture Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Aviculture Aviculture is the practice of keeping birds (class '' Aves'') in captivity in controlled conditions, normally within the confines of a ...

or as

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 children and other common pet species like do ...

s, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.

Biology

Of the many different

Psittacidae The Family (biology), family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the 12 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Afrotropics, Afrotropical parrots) and 167 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or ...

(true parrots)

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, six are classified as macaws: '' Ara'', '' Anodorhynchus'', ''

Cyanopsitta Spix's macaw (''Cyanopsitta spixii''), also known as the little blue macaw, is a macaw species that was endemic to Brazil. It is a member of tribe Arini in the subfamily Arinae ( Neotropical parrots), part of the family Psittacidae (the true p ...

'', ''

Primolius ''Primolius'' is a genus of macaws comprising three species, which are native to South America. They are mainly green parrots with complex colouring including blues, reds and yellows. They have long tails, a large curved beak, and bare facial ski ...

'', ''

Orthopsittaca The red-bellied macaw (''Orthopsittaca manilatus''), also known as ''Guacamaya manilata'', is a medium-sized, mostly green parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called "mi ...

'', and ''

Diopsittaca The red-shouldered macaw (''Diopsittaca nobilis'') is a small green South American true parrots, parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest ma ...

''. Previously, the members of the genus ''Primolius'' were placed in ''Propyrrhura'', but the former is correct in accordance with

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

rules. In addition, the related macaw-like

thick-billed parrot The thick-billed parrot (''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha'') is a medium-sized parrot endemic to Mexico that formerly ranged into the southwestern United States. Its position in parrot phylogeny is the subject of ongoing discussion; it is sometimes ...

is sometimes referred to as a "macaw", although it is not phylogenetically considered to be a macaw species. Macaws are native to

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

(only

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and formerly the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Most species are associated with forests, but others prefer woodland or savannah-like habitats.Abramson, J., Speer, B. L., & Thomsen, J.B. 1999, "The Large Macaws, Their Care and Breeding", Raintree Publications: CA Proportionately larger beaks, long tails, and relatively bare, light-coloured medial (facial patch) areas distinguish macaws from other parrots. Sometimes the facial patch is smaller in some species and limited to a yellow patch around the eyes and a second patch near the base of the beak in the members of the genus '' Anodorhynchus''. A macaw's facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint. The largest macaws are the hyacinth, Buffon's (great green) and green-winged macaws. While still relatively large parrots, mini-macaws of the genera ''Cyanopsitta'', ''Orthopsittaca'' and ''Primolius'' are significantly smaller than the members of ''Anodorhynchus'' and ''Ara''. The smallest macaw species, the red-shouldered macaw, is no larger than some parakeets of the genus '' Aratinga''. Macaws, like other

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

toucan Toucans (, ) are Neotropical birds in the family Ramphastidae. They are most closely related to the Semnornis, Toucan barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful Beak, bills. The family includes five genus, genera and over ...

s and

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family (biology), family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme ...

s, are zygodactyl, having their first and fourth toes pointing backward.

Species in taxonomic order

There are 19 species of macaws, including extinct and critically

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

. In addition, there are several hypothetical extinct species that have been proposed based on very little evidence.

* '' Anodorhynchus'' ** Glaucous macaw, ''Anodorhynchus glaucus'' (critically endangered or extinct) **

Hyacinth macaw The hyacinth macaw (''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus''), or hyacinthine macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about one meter it is longer tha ...

, ''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus'' ** Indigo macaw or Lear's macaw, ''Anodorhynchus leari'' * ''Cyanopsitta'' ** Little blue macaw or

Spix's macaw Spix's macaw (''Cyanopsitta spixii''), also known as the little blue macaw, is a macaw species that was Endemism, endemic to Brazil. It is a member of tribe Arini (tribe), Arini in the subfamily Arinae (Neotropical parrots), part of the family ...

, ''Cyanopsitta spixii'' (probably extinct in the wild) * '' Ara'' **

Blue-and-yellow macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large g ...

or blue-and-gold macaw, ''Ara ararauna'' ** Blue-throated macaw, ''Ara glaucogularis'' ** Military macaw, ''Ara militaris'' ** Great green macaw or Buffon's macaw, ''Ara ambiguus'' **

Scarlet macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from south ...

or Aracanga, ''Ara macao'' ** Red-and-green macaw or green-winged macaw, ''Ara chloropterus'' ** Red-fronted macaw, ''Ara rubrogenys'' ** Chestnut-fronted macaw or severe macaw, ''Ara severus'' ** † Cuban red macaw, ''Ara tricolor'' (extinct) ** † Saint Croix macaw, ''Ara autochthones'' (extinct) * ''Orthopsittaca'' ** Red-bellied macaw, ''Orthopsittaca manilatus'' * ''

'' ** Blue-headed macaw, ''Primolius couloni'' ** Blue-winged macaw or Illiger's macaw, ''Primolius maracana'' ** Golden-collared macaw, ''Primolius auricollis'' * ''Diopsittaca'' ** Red-shouldered macaw or Hahn's macaw, ''Diopsittaca nobilis''

Hypothetical extinct species

Several hypothetical extinct species of macaws have been postulated based on little evidence, and they may have been subspecies, or familiar parrots that were imported onto an island and later wrongly presumed to have a separate identity. * Martinique macaw, ''Ara martinica'',

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "to the red shield", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...

1905 *

Lesser Antillean macaw The Lesser Antillean macaw or Guadeloupe macaw (''Ara guadeloupensis'') is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw that is thought to have been endemic to the Lesser Antillean island region of Guadeloupe. In spite of the absence of conserved sp ...

, ''Ara guadeloupensis'', Clark, 1905 * Jamaican green-and-yellow macaw, ''Ara erythrocephala'', Rothschild 1905 * Jamaican red macaw, ''Ara gossei'', Rothschild 1905 * Dominican green-and-yellow macaw, ''Ara atwoodi'', Clark, 1905

Extinctions and conservation status

The majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild and a few are

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

. The

is now most likely extinct in the wild. The glaucous macaw is also probably extinct, with only two reliable records of sightings in the 20th century. The greatest problems threatening the macaw population are the rapid rate of

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

and illegal trapping for the bird trade. Prehistoric Native Americans in the American Southwest farmed macaws in establishments known as "feather factories".

International trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

of all macaw species is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Some species of macaws—the scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') as an example—are listed in the CITES Appendix I and may not be lawfully traded for commercial purposes. Other species, such as the red-shouldered macaw (''Diopsittaca nobilis''), are listed in Appendix II and may legally be traded commercially provided that certain controls are in place, including a non-detriment finding, establishment of an export quota, and issuing of export permits.

Hybrids

Sometimes macaws are hybridized for the pet trade. Aviculturists have reported an over-abundance of female blue-and-yellow macaws in captivity, which differs from the general rule with captive macaws and other parrots, where the males are more abundant. This would explain why the blue and gold is the most commonly hybridised macaw, and why the hybridising trend took hold among macaws. Common macaw hybrids include the harlequin ('' Ara ararauna'' × '' Ara chloroptera''), miligold macaw ('' Ara ararauna'' × '' Ara militaris'') and the Catalina (known as the rainbow in Australia, '' Ara ararauna'' × '' Ara macao''). In addition, unusual but apparently healthy intergeneric hybrids between the hyacinth macaw and several of the larger ''Ara'' macaws have also occasionally been seen in captivity. Another, much rarer, occurrence of a second-generation hybrid (F2) is the miliquin macaw (harlequin and military macaws).

Diet and clay licks

Macaws eat a variety of foods including seeds, nuts, fruits, palm fruits, leaves, flowers, young shoots, and stems. Safe vegetables include asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, butternut, carrots, corn on the cob, dandelion greens, collard greens, hot peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini. Wild species may forage widely, over for some of the larger species such as ''Ara araurana'' (blue and yellow macaw) and ''Ara ambigua'' (great green macaw), in search of seasonally available foods. Some foods eaten by macaws in certain regions in the wild are said to contain

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

caustic Caustic most commonly refers to: * Causticity, the property of being able to corrode organic tissue ** Sodium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic soda'' ** Potassium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic potash'' ** Calcium oxide, sometimes cal ...

substances which they are able to digest. It has been suggested that parrots and macaws in the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

eat clay from exposed river banks to neutralize these toxins. In the western Amazon hundreds of macaws and other parrots descend to exposed river banks to consume clay on an almost daily basis – except on rainy days. Donald Brightsmith, the principal investigator of The Macaw Society, located at the Tambopata Research Center (TRC) in Peru, has studied the clay eating behaviour of parrots at clay licks in Peru. He and fellow investigators found that the soils macaws choose to consume at the clay licks do not have higher levels of

cation-exchange capacity Cation-exchange capacity (CEC) is a measure of how many cations can be retained on soil particle surfaces. Negative charges on the surfaces of soil particles bind positively-charged atoms or molecules (cations), but allow these to exchange with ot ...

(ability to absorb toxins) than that of unused areas of the clay licks and thus the parrots could not be using the clay to neutralize ingested food toxins. Rather, the macaws and other bird and animal species prefer clays with higher levels of sodium. Sodium is a vital element that is scarce in environments greater than 100 kilometres from the ocean. The distribution of clay licks across South America further supports this hypothesis – as the largest and most species-rich clay licks are found on the western side of the Amazon Basin far from oceanic influences. Salt-enriched (

NaCl Sodium chloride , commonly known as edible salt, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. It is transparent or translucent, brittle, hygroscopic, and occurs as the mineral hali ...

) oceanic aerosols are the main source of environmental sodium near coasts and this decreases drastically farther inland. Clay-eating behaviour by macaws is not seen outside the western Amazon region, even though macaws in these areas consume some toxic foods such as the seeds of ''Hura crepitans'', or sandbox tree, which have toxic sap. Species of parrot that consume more seeds, which potentially have more toxins, do not use clay licks more than species that eat a greater proportion of flowers or fruit in their diets. Studies at TRC have shown a correlation between clay-lick use and the breeding season. Contents of nestling

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...

samples show a high percentage of clay fed to them by their parents. Calcium for egg development – another hypothesis – does not appear to be a reason for

geophagy Geophagia (), also known as geophagy (), is the intentional practice of consuming earth or soil-like substances such as clay, chalk, or termite mounds. It is a behavioural adaptation that occurs in many non-human animals and has been documented i ...

during this period as peak usage is after the hatching of eggs. Another theory is that the birds, as well as other herbivorous animals, use the clay licks as a source of

cobalamin Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. One of eight B vitamins, it serves as a vital cofactor (biochemistry), cofactor in DNA synthesis and both fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid and amino a ...

, otherwise known as vitamin B₁₂.

Relationship with humans

Macaws and their feathers have attracted the attention of people throughout history, most notably in

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

civilizations such as the

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

, Wari', and Nazca. Macaw feathers were highly desired for their bright colors and acquired through hunting and trade. Feathers were often used as adornment and were found at both ceremonial and burial sites. South American weavers have used their feathers to create a number of textiles, most notably feathered panels and

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more developed ...

s. Due to the fragile nature of the feathers, many of these pieces have begun to deteriorate over time.

Gallery

File:Macaw.blueyellow.arp.750pix.jpg,

s (''Ara ararauna'') File:Military Macaw jbp.jpg, Military macaw (''Ara militaris'') File:Scarlet Macaw.jpg, Wing clipped

scarlet macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from south ...

s (''Ara macao'') File:Golden-collared Macaw 041.jpg, Golden-collared macaw (''Primolius auricollis'') File:HyacinthMacaw.jpg,

References

External links

Macaw Facts
Indepth Macaw Research
Macaws
Macaw care

Tambopata Macaw Project

Information about macaw hybrids in captivity
{{Portal bar, Birds Bird common names