Glaucous Macaw
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| 'Glaucous Macaw Conservation status: Critical | ||||||||||||||
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| Anodorhynchus glaucus (Vieillot, 1816) |
The Glaucous Macaw, Anodorhynchus glaucus, is a South American parrot which may now be extinct in the wild. It is closely related to the Lear's Macaw A. leari and the Hyacinth Macaw A. hyacinthinus.
This is a large (70cm) blue macaw. It is a pale turquoise-blue colour with a large greyish head. It has a proportionally long tail and a massive bill. It has a yellow, bare eye-ring and half-moon-shaped lappets bordering the mandible.
This bird was formerly resident in north Argentina, south Paraguay, north-east Uruguay and Brazil. It became rare during the 19th century due to trapping and loss of habitat, and only two acceptable records of wild birds were received in the 20th century. It is probably extinct, but regular rumours of sightings suggest that a few birds may still survive.
Reference
- BirdLife International Species Factsheet (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1545&m=0)