Macaws



Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus )
Size: 33 inches (83 cm)
Indigenous to Brazil, Bolivia, northeastern Paraguay

Blue And Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna )
Size: 34 inches (86 cm)
Indigenous to Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela

Blue-Throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis )
Size: 34 inches (86 cm)
Indigenous to eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina

Military Macaw (Ara militaris )
Size: 30 inches (76 cm)
Indigenous to Central America, Columbia, Venezuela, northern Peru, Bolivia, to northwestern Argentina.

Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao )
Size: 36 inches (91 cm)
Indigenous to Central America, Columbia, and generally east of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia and northern Brazil.

Green-Winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera )
Size: 36 inches (91 cm)
Indigenous to Panama, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay.

Yellow-Collared Macaw (Ara auricollis )
Size: 16 inches (40 cm)
Indigenous to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina

Severe Macaw (Ara severa )
Size: 19 inches (48 cm)
Indigenous to Brazil

Red-Bellied Macaw (Ara manilata )
Size: 18 inches (46 cm)
Indigenous to Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia and northern Brazil.

Noble Macaw (Ara nobilis cumanensis )
Size: 14 inches (35 cm)
Indigenous to Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil.

Hahn's Macaw (Ara nobilis nobilis )
Size: 12 inches (30 cm)
Indigenous to Venezuela and Brazil.

Macaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 called guacamayos in Spanish and araras in Portuguese.

Species in taxonomic order
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 ambiguus : 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 Red Macaw
Ara autocthones : Saint Croix Macaw[1]
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

Status

The majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild. Five species 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. (More on diet below) They also 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. 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, and a 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.

Most pet macaws had ancestors living in the wild just two or three generations ago, and are not truly domesticated by any reasonable definition. (This is unlike, for example, dogs; some estimates put the domestication of dogs as far back as 40,000 years ago.)

International trade in Macaws is illegal under the CITES agreement. Only captive born birds may be sold as pets.

Hybrids

A common trend in recent years is hybridising macaws for the pet trade. Hybrids are typical macaws, with the only difference from true species being their genetics and their colors. They tend to have intermediate characteristics between the parents', though the appearance seems to be influenced more by the father's genes. As for their temperament and behaviour, they seem to inherit the best of both parents, assuming both parents are not aggressive. Common hybrids include Harlequins (Ara ararauna x chloroptera) and Catalinas (known as Rainbows in Australia, A. ararauna x macao).[2] As many species of macaws will become extinct in the wild it is necessary to maintain pure breeding stock of captive macaws to ensure species preservation. As hybridizing dilutes the available gene pool it simply hastens species extinction. Please consider this before purchasing or breeding hybrids.

Strange Diet

Macaws are known to eat clay as an antidote to the poisonous seeds they eat. Scientists have found out that the chemicals in clay mix with the poison allowing to pass through the bird's digestive system unharmed.

References
Forshaw, Joseph Michael (1973, 1981). Parrots of the World.
Macaws, Hybrid Names, and pages on individual hybrids
ITIS 177653, 177659 as of 2002-07-15
Abramson, J., Speer, B. L., & Thomsen, J.B. 1999, "The Large Macaws, Their Care and Breeding", Raintree Publications:CA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
License and Copyright Statement - currently,
"All text is available under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation License.
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Diet:

Large macaw species need a varied diet with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits and also nuts, such as Brazil, macadamias, pecans, almonds, etc. Hot peppers of any color are aften enjoyed by macaws. Berries and sweet fruits such as papaya, mango, melons, citrus, berries, grapes, bananas, figs, cranberries, pomegranates, cactus fruits, persimmons, etc are relished by most macaws. Dark leafy greens and cooked root vegetables such as beet root, sweet potatoes, turnips, yams, and carrots are highly recommended.

Apples and corn on the cob can be fed as treats, as well as an occasional small amount of well-cooked egg or a small piece of cheese. In general, a lot of animal protein, especially milk and milk-derived products, are not recommended to be fed in more than a small quantity as on occasionable treat (not daily).

__________________
~Karen

Email: Karen_ParrotChatter@msn.com