Macaw
Macaw | |
---|---|
A blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Psittaciformes |
Family: | Psittacidae |
Subfamily: | Arinae |
Tribe: | Arini |
Groups included | |
Anodorhynchus |
Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful.[1] They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.
Biology
Of the many different
Proportionately larger beaks, long tails, and relatively bare, light-coloured medial (facial patch) areas distinguish macaws from other parrots. Sometimes the facial patch is smaller in some species and limited to a yellow patch around the eyes and a second patch near the base of the beak in the members of the genus Anodorhynchus. A macaw's facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.[4]
The largest macaws are the
Macaws, like other
Species in taxonomic order
There are 19 species of macaws, including extinct and critically endangered species.[5] In addition, there are several hypothetical extinct species that have been proposed based on very little evidence.[6]
- Anodorhynchus
- Glaucous macaw, Anodorhynchus glaucus (critically endangered or extinct)
- Hyacinth macaw, Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
- Indigo macaw or Lear's macaw, Anodorhynchus leari
- Cyanopsitta
- Little blue macaw or Spix's macaw, Cyanopsitta spixii (probably extinct in the wild)
- Ara
- Blue-and-yellow macaw or blue-and-gold macaw, Ara ararauna
- Blue-throated macaw, Ara glaucogularis
- Military macaw, Ara militaris
- Great green macaw or Buffon's macaw, Ara ambiguus
- Scarlet macaw or Aracanga, Ara macao
- Red-and-green macaw or green-winged macaw, Ara chloropterus
- Red-fronted macaw, Ara rubrogenys
- Chestnut-fronted macaw or severe macaw, Ara severus
- †Cuban red macaw, Ara tricolor (extinct)
- †Saint Croix macaw, Ara autochthones[7](extinct)
- Orthopsittaca
- Red-bellied macaw, Orthopsittaca manilatus
- Primolius
- Blue-headed macaw, Primolius couloni
- Blue-winged macaw or Illiger's macaw, Primolius maracana
- Golden-collared macaw, Primolius auricollis
- Diopsittaca
- Red-shouldered macaw or Hahn's macaw, Diopsittaca nobilis
Hypothetical extinct species
Several
- Martinique macaw, Ara martinica, Rothschild 1905
- Lesser Antillean macaw, Ara guadeloupensis, Clark, 1905
- Jamaican green-and-yellow macaw, Ara erythrocephala, Rothschild 1905
- Jamaican red macaw, Ara gossei, Rothschild 1905
- Dominican green-and-yellow macaw, Ara atwoodi, Clark, 1905
Extinctions and conservation status
The majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild and a few are extinct. The Spix's macaw is now probably 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 illegal trapping for the bird trade.[8] Prehistoric Native Americans in the American Southwest farmed macaws in establishments known as "feather factories".[9]
International trade of all macaw species is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Some species of macaws—the scarlet macaw (Ara macao) as an example—are listed in the CITES Appendix I and may not be lawfully traded for commercial purposes. Other species, such as the red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis), are listed in Appendix II and may legally be traded commercially provided that certain controls are in place, including a non-detriment finding, establishment of an export quota, and issuing of export permits.
Hybrids
Sometimes macaws are hybridized for the pet trade.
Aviculturists have reported an over-abundance of female blue-and-yellow macaws in captivity, which differs from the general rule with captive macaws and other parrots, where the males are more abundant.[
Diet and clay licks
Macaws eat a variety of foods including seeds, nuts, fruits, palm fruits, leaves, flowers, and stems. Safe vegetables include asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, butternut, carrots, corn on the cob, dandelion greens, collard greens, hot peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini. Wild species may forage widely, over 100 km (62 mi) for some of the larger species such as Ara araurana (blue and yellow macaw) and Ara ambigua (great green macaw), in search of seasonally available foods.
Some foods eaten by macaws in certain regions in the wild are said to contain
Clay-eating behaviour by macaws is not seen outside the western Amazon region, even though macaws in these areas consume some toxic foods such as the seeds of Hura crepitans, or
Studies at TRC have shown a correlation between clay-lick use and the breeding season.
Another theory is that the birds, as well as other herbivorous animals, use the clay licks as a source of
Relationship with humans
Macaws and their feathers have attracted the attention of people throughout history, most notably in
Gallery
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Blue-and-yellow macaws (Ara ararauna)
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Military macaw (Ara militaris)
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Wing clipped scarlet macaws (Ara macao)
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Golden-collared macaw (Primolius auricollis)
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Blue and yellow macaw
References
- ^ "macaw". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ South American Classification Committee Archived 2007-02-24 at the Wayback Machine To reassign the genus of three macaws.
- ^ a b c Abramson, J., Speer, B. L., & Thomsen, J.B. 1999, "The Large Macaws, Their Care and Breeding", Raintree Publications: CA
- ^ "Facial fingerprint". webparrots.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ "Zoological Nomenclature Resource: Psittaciformes (Version 9.004)". www.zoonomen.net. 2008-07-05.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-670-81787-0.
- .
- ISBN 978-2-83170504-0.
- S2CID 164761495.
- ^ "Miligold Macaw, Hybrid Cross between a Military Macaw and a Blue and Gold Macaw". Animal-world.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
- ^ Macaws, Hybrid Names, and pages on individual hybrids.
- ^ Vargas, Theresa. "An unlikely parrot love story may have resulted in a new species". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Gilardi, James D. (1996). Ecology of Parrots in the Peruvian Amazon: Habitat Use, Nutrition, and Geophagy (Ph.D.). Davis, California: University of California at Davis.
- ^ Munn, C. A. (January 1994). "Macaws: winged rainbows". National Geographic. 185 (1): 118–140.
- S2CID 83509448.
- .
- S2CID 86506489.
- PMID 19004798.
- .
- ^ a b Lee, A. T. K. (2010). Parrot Claylicks: Distribution, Patterns of Use and Ecological Correlates from a Parrot Assemblage in Southeastern Peru (Ph.D.). Manchester Metropolitan University.
- ^ Brightsmith, D. J. 2006. "The psittacine year: what drives annual cycles in Tambopata's parrots?" Archived 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine Proceedings of the Loro Parque International Parrot Symposium, Tenerife, Spain.
- ^ "Gold and the Incas - LEARN MORE| | Plume". nga.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ^ "When Feathers Were the Treasures of the Rainforest". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
External links
- Macaw Facts Indepth Macaw Research
- Macaws Macaw care
- Macaws at Curlie
- San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes: Macaw
- Tambopata Macaw Project
- Information about macaw hybrids in captivity