Macaw

Ara militaris / Ara ararauna

Macaws are members of the Parrot family with large strong beaks designed to crush seeds and nuts. They also eat fruits, flowers, leaves, stems, insects, and snails. The tail of a macaw is extremely long to help offset the weight of its beak so it doesn’t tip over while perching on a tree branch.

Fun Facts

• Not far from El Paso, in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, prehistoric people traded scarlet macaws and their feathers to Native American cultures at various locations in the American Southwest.
• Puebloan peoples used feathers on ceremonial masks and put images of macaws on rock art and on ceramic surfaces.
• There are 19 species of macaws, including extinct and critically endangered species.
• Screaming is a natural call for macaws. They do it to make contact with one another, to define territory, and even as part of their play.