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are the
largest birds
in the
parrot family, Psittacidae
of the order of
Psittaciformes which includes also the smaller parrots and
parakeets,
their closest relations.
All Macaws have spectacularly colorful
plumages with long tail feathers and they possess a
strong and curved bill.
The 17 species
worldwide
are found only in the tropical regions on
the American continent and in Ecuador 7
species make their home in the tropical
lowland rainforests of the Amazon and Coast. |
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The Blue-and
Yellow Macaw is the most common one in the Amazon
lowlands. In flight they are very noisy, making
raucous calls and most often seen in pairs, with their
life-long mate. Once roosting or feeding in a tree they
are
relatively quiet and sometimes surprisingly hard to spot (both
photos taken at Pañacocha lagoons). Apart from being
strong fliers, macaws also know how to climb up and down
tree trunks using their beaks
and feet. |
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Macaws or
Guacamayos, as they are known locally, live in the tropical
forests, mostly seen in pairs but
sometimes they form larger groups of up to 30 birds. Their diet consists of fruits and nuts, which they
are able to crush with their powerful beaks. Their
common English name is derived from the macaw palm tree,
which is a favorite food source for those colorful birds. They range
in size from 30 cm to 1 meter, measured from tail end to head crown
and have beautiful colorful plumages with long
tails. Another important characteristic is their
bare facial skin. |
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Colorful plumages, a strong and
curved
bill and bare facial skin crossed by lines
of tiny feathers are the
main features of macaws.
Blue-and
Yellow with black hairlines (to
the left) and Red-and-Green Macaw (right photo) with red ones (pictures
taken at Baños Zoo, which boasts of many parrot species). |
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Macaws are monogamous, pairing for life and are
seen together flying or roosting in the
trees. The female lays 1 to 2 eggs in makeshift nests
in the high trees. The altricial young are fed by the parents till they can
find food on their own and join the larger group of those
magnificent birds. Macaws are caught and sold to pet shops all over the world
and some species are on the brink of extinction due to that practice but
also because of the loss of habitat through the clear cutting of tropical forests. The
trade in macaws moves millions of dollars, some of it legally
but most illegally. In the West Indies, where macaws existed
before, all are already extinct.
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Macaws are often kept as pets or
are exhibited in zoos. To keep them from flying
away the 3 longest wing feathers (primaries)
are shortened by cutting. Those eventually will
grow back and they will be able to fly again. These
pictures, taken in the
aviary section of Baños Zoo, shows
Chestnut-Fronted, Blue-and-Yellow and the Scarlet Macaw
(from left to right). |
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ECUADORIAN SPECIES |
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Name |
Scientific |
Location |
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Blue-and-Yellow Macaw |
Ara ararauna |
Amazon below 500m |
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Military Macaw |
Ara militaris |
Amazon 800m - 1500m |
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Great Green Macaw |
Ara ambigua |
Coast below 800m |
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Red-and-Green Macaw |
Ara chloroptera |
Amazon below 500m |
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Chestnut-Fronted Macaw |
Ara severa |
Amazon and Coast below 1400m |
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Red-Bellied Macaw |
Orthopsittaca manilata |
Amazon below 400m |
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Scarlet Macaw |
Ara macao |
Amazon below 400m |
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Birding Vocabulary |
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Monogamy:
birds establish exclusive pair bond for one reproductive circle,
like in pigeons or for life like condors or macaws |
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Polygamy:
in contrast
where one sex establishes pair bonds with several members of the
other sex |
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