Scarlet Macaw
Place to admire: Tropical Paradise
Scientific name: Ara macao
IUCN-status: Endangered
General information
Although the Scarlet Macaw is not an endangered species, the bird does face many dangers. Its population is declining in the wild.
In Costa Rica, the Scarlet Macaw has already lost much of its original range. In Central America, there are probably only 4,000 individuals left . But how does this happen? The biggest threats to Scarlet Macaws are habitat loss and pet trafficking. Habitat loss occurs because of rainforest destruction. People often steal Scarlet Macaws from nests to sell on the black market. As a result, the bird is intensively exploited for the pet trade. Our job is to protect this bird species and support conservation.
Habitat
The Scarlet Macaw lives in Costa Rica, in Panama and in northern and eastern Colombia. In addition, this bird species occurs from the east through Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname to central Brazil, and from the south to eastern Ecuador.
This bird species inhabits a wide range of habitat types, from humid rainforests to deciduous forests, forests along rivers and gallery forests in open savanna lands. The habitat must have sufficient tall trees to meet its food and nesting needs.
Diet
The Scarlet Macaw forages on seeds, leaves, flowers, nectar, pulp, bark, fruit and sap. This means that this bird species is a frugivore, granivore, nectar forager and a herbivore.
The Scarlet Macaw forages in the high canopy to look for food. When the bird has found a fruit or seed, it will place it on the front edge of the lower jaw and on the horn-like palate of the upper jaw. On the inside, the tip is ridged to promote grip.
The front edge of the lower jaw will press into the seed coat, removing the outer membrane of the seed. Next, the bird will circle the seed with its tongue. This will remove the pulp. The seed is then split and eaten. All this is done with great dexterity and speed.
Appearance
The Scarlet Macaw has a size of 84 to 89 centimeters, weighing 900 to 1,490 grams. Most of the body has red plumage. In addition, the head is also colored red. Around the eye, the skin is bare and white-colored. The underside of the beak contains a black hue. The top of the bill has a whitish color. The upper and middle wing feathers color yellow and are edged green. The flight feathers, on the other hand, contain a blue color. The underwing feathers color red. The back, rump and tail coverts have a light blue hue. The tail feathers color red, with a blue tip.
Social behavior
The Scarlet Macaw is a monogamous bird species. The pair bond generally lasts for life. In addition, this bird species is congregating. This means that the Scarlet Macaw roosts in groups.
The Scarlet Macaw makes short and unmusical sounds. It is characterized by shrill, sharp, rasping and loud sounds. The long call consists of a confused hodgepodge of whistles and croaks. To communicate within the group, to mark territories and to identify each other, the Scarlet Macaw uses vocalizations. While brushing, pairs will communicate with each other.
Yet you don’t often hear the Scarlet Macaw in the wild. This is because the birds presumably live in constant fear of predators. As a result, Yellow-winged macaws keep quiet most of the day. Only an hour after sunrise, while brushing or playing in the safety of tall trees during midday, while flying and an hour before sunset are vocalized loudly.
Natural behavior
The Scarlet Macaw often eats unripe fruits packed with toxins. For this reason, the Scarlet Macaw frequently visits clay banks and salt marshes. This is because the clay helps absorb or filter the toxins.
