Hyacinth Macaw
Place to admire: Tropical Paradise
Scientific name: Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
IUCN-Status: Vulnerable
Habitat
The Hyacinth Macaw is found in the wild in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. In these countries, this bird species inhabits subtropical and tropical forests and swamps, dry savannas, moist savannas, and subtropical and tropical dry grasslands.
Appearance
The Hyacinth Macaw is known as the largest Parrot in the world. In fact, this bird species has a size of 100 centimeters! This majestic bird species characterizes itself by its cobalt blue plumage. The wings contain more violet. The underside of the flight feathers and tail turn gray. The areas around the eyes and the strip at the base of the lower jaw have a yellow color.
Diet
The Hyacinth Macaw is a herbivore. This means that its diet consists mainly of plant matter. This bird species feeds mainly on hard fruits of some native palm species.
The Hyacinth Macaw occasionally takes other fruits, small seeds, palm shoots and Snails. When the Hyacinth Macaw opens ripe fruits, it sometimes contains Insects or insect larvae and the bird will eat these as well.
Natural behavior
The Hyacinth Macaw has a large and strong beak, which the bird uses to break open shells of the nuts. The nuts are usually quite hard. This bird species holds the nut with 1 leg and places the nut under the upper jaw. The Hyacinth Macaw will first file away the thickness of the shell in 1 spot with its beak, and then the bird will break the nut in half. This species of bird can also use leaves or branches to manipulate the fruit.
Social behavior
The Hyacinth Macaw is a social bird species, courting, copulating and bonding with each other throughout the year. This bird species additionally performs ‘allopreening‘. The birds brush each other’s plumage. The Hyacinth Macaw thus practices a monogamous mating system, with the pair bond often lasting for life.
Endangerments that occur in the wild
Thanks to deforestation, illegal trade and illegal hunting, the population in the wild is declining sharply. Today, the adult population is estimated at 4.300 individuals in the wild, but the population continues to decline. The Hyacinth Macaw has a specific diet consisting of palm nuts, which unfortunately are disappearing due to agriculture and logging. In addition, specific Palm species also serve as the suitable breeding habitat, which are thus also increasingly disappearing.
In addition to these threats, the Hyacinth Macaw reproduces with difficulty. The Hyacinth Macaw has a low reproductive rate due to several factors. The most important factor is that a pair does not reproduce every year. New copulations take place only after the young are independent. Taking care of a young takes longer than 1 year. Other factors contributing to the low reproductive rate are: decrease in available cavities in the specific palm tree species, animal competition and predation, and often only 1 young survives the breeding cycle.
