Birds · Psittaciformes · Psittacidae

Scarlet Macaw

Ara macao

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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A spectacular parrot in red, yellow and blue, it pairs for life and its call carries a long way through the forest.

Weight

900 g – 1.5 kg

Size

80 cm – 90 cm

Lifespan

40 years

Diet

Frugivore

Feeds mainly on fruit.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Between 50,000 and 500,000 animals, the great majority in Amazonia; in Central America there may be no more than 4,000 left and in El Salvador it has all but disappeared. The northern populations (the subspecies cyanoptera) occupy a fraction of their historic range in Mexico and Central America

RainforestFrugivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Rainforest

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Fun facts

It pairs for life.
It can live for over 40 years in the wild.
It visits clay licks to neutralise the toxins in the seeds it eats.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Humid tropical and gallery forest of Mexico, Central and South America
Birth weight: Exact weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Blind, featherless and completely dependent at hatching
Sexual maturity: 3-6 years (some sources give as much as 5-8 years)
Gestation / incubation: 24-28 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 4 eggs per clutch (most commonly 2-3)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of 33-64 years in captivity (unconfirmed reports of up to 70)

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Birda; Loro Parque; A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; Susan Clubb (aviculture); Birdshistory; Lamar University; BirdLife International / IUCN Red List: catalogado como Preocupación menor por su enorme área de distribución y sus buenos números en Sudamérica, pero con declive documentado en el conjunto del área por pérdida de hábitat y captura para el comercio de mascotas || BirdLife International, ficha de Ara macao; Macaw Recovery Network