Scarlet Macaw Ara macaoSpanish name Guacamayo Rojo Lapa

Habitat

The Scarlet Macaw lives high in the lowland forests. evergreen forests, tropical evergreens or deciduous which are either solid or patchy.

Range

The macaw inhabits the forests all the way from Mexico through central South America.

Physical Description

Macaws are among the largest parrots in the Americas The Scarlet Macaw is distinct both in its color and form. It’s impossible to confuse with other birds in Central America: birds facts  its tail feathers are pointed and long and its wings are short due to its huge body. It is armed with a powerful bill that can break through hard seeds and nuts. The bright red feathers cover the back the lower and head feathers. Bold blue spreads across the lower back and the wings and upper back, with long stripes of bright yellow over the feathers. The facial skin of the bird is pinkish white, with the bill is ivory and black. Both sexes are adult-like from the age of a few years.

Interesting Biology

With strong wings, the scarlet macaw noisily flies high over the canopy; their travels may range far both daily and seasonally. Their loud, resonant, boisterous calls can often be heard as they fly, but they are usually quiet while feeding. Pairs, trios, or small family groups are often seen, but these may sometimes merge into flocks of 25 or even 50 individuals at large roosts in tall trees or mangroves.

The Scarlet Macaw nests in large holes in tall living or dead trees; they do not dig these holes, but rely on finding cavities that are high off the ground and have vertical entrances. Finding enough of such trees can be a limiting factor for these birds to maintain populations in an area, especially because some bee species occupy the same kind of tree cavity. A macaw pair will lay 1-2 eggs per season in such a nest and raise them together. These macaws are serially monogamous, but they may change mates after several seasons.

In 1900, these parrots could still be seen in forests throughout Central America; by 1950, however, due to habitat destruction, they were absent from the Caribbean slope except in the Northwest. They have also suffered from the pet trade; fortunately, today they are protected in every country in which they live.

Diet

This macaw mostly grazes under the trees, devouring huge seeds, fruits, and nuts that grow in trees.  Are Birds Mammals? In search of the almond-sized, almond-shaped seeds hidden under the fibrous, tough nuts, the macaw spits out large pieces of hard fruit by using their sharp edges of the lower mandible.

after it has hit its nut it cuts through the fruit’s outer layer and then picks the food. They can be swift foragers. A rooster of 10 birds could carpet the ground with 3000 of these fruit within a matter of hours as they hunt for seeds.