Macaw
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Ara |
Macaws are large colorful New World parrots, classified into six of the many Psittacidae genera: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Propyrrhura, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca. They are the largest birds in the parrot family in length and wingspan, though the flightless Kakapo is heavier.
Parrots are zygodactyl, like woodpeckers, having 4 toes on each foot – two front and two back.
Their native habitats are the forests, especially rain forests, of Mexico and Central and South America. They are locally also known as Guacamayos in Spanish and Arara in Portuguese.
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Status
The majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild. Five species of macaw are already extinct, and Spix's Macaw is now considered to be 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 and the illegal trapping of birds for the bird trade.
Birds in captivity
Macaws eat nuts and fruit and are gnaw and chew on various objects. They show a large amount of intelligence in their behaviour and require constant intellectual stimulation to satisfy their innate curiosity.
Bonding: Macaws have been said to live for up to 100 years; however, an average of 50 years is probably more accurate. The larger macaws may live up to 65 years. The decision to have a macaw as a pet should be seen as a life-long commitment, as it will likely be a companion for life and many even outlive their human keepers. They are monogamous and mate for life. In captivity unmated macaws will bond primarily with one person – their keeper. Pet macaws thrive on frequent interaction, handling and love just as humans do. Lack of this can lead to their mental and physical suffering.
Other sub-bondings also take place and most macaws that are subjected to non-aggressive behavior will trust most humans and can be handled even by strangers if someone familiar is also alongside.
Without proper adult supervision, macaws are unsuitable as pets for children. All species of macaws have very powerful, large beaks and are capable of causing a considerable amount of harm to both children and adults. They are delicate creatures and require respectful, and loving husbandry from handlers. Macaws tend to be extremely loud: their voices are designed to carry over long distances. This makes macaws very demanding birds to keep and the decision to have one as household pets should not be taken lightly.
Gallery
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Species list
- Anodorhynchus
- Anodorhynchus glaucus : Glaucous Macaw
- Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus : Hyacinth Macaw
- Anodorhynchus leari : Indigo Macaw or Lear's Macaw
- Cyanopsitta
- Cyanopsitta spixii : Little Blue Macaw or Spix's Macaw
- Ara
- Ara ararauna : Blue-and-yellow Macaw
- Ara glaucogularis : Blue-throated Macaw
- Ara militaris : Military Macaw
- Ara ambigua : Buffon's Macaw or Great Green Macaw
- Ara macao : Scarlet Macaw or Aracanga
- Ara chloroptera : Greenwing Macaw or Red-and-green Macaw
- Ara rubrogenys : Red-fronted Macaw
- Ara severa : Chestnut-fronted Macaw or Severe Macaw
- Ara atwoodi : Dominican Green-and-Yellow Macaw
- Ara erythrocephala : Jamaican Green-and-Yellow Macaw
- Ara gossei : Jamaican Red Macaw
- Ara guadeloupensis : Lesser Antillean Macaw
- Ara tricolor : Cuban Macaw
- Orthopsittaca
- Orthopsittaca manilata : Red-bellied Macaw
- Propyrrhura
- Propyrrhura couloni : Blue-headed Macaw
- Propyrrhura maracana : Illiger's Macaw or Blue-winged Macaw
- Propyrrhura auricollis : Golden-collared Macaw
- Diopsittaca
- Diopsittaca nobilis : Red-shouldered Macaw or Hahn's Macaw
Reference
ITIS 177653, 177659 (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177653)
as of 2002-07-15