The macaws Ara ararauna and Ara macao are two species of large, colorful parrots, known for their beauty and intelligence. Both species inhabit the tropical forests of Central and South America and are recognized for their longevity and ability to learn and mimic sounds, which makes them popular pets, although they require specialized care.
Order: Psitaciformes | Family: Psitácidos
Scientific name: Ara ararauna y Ara macao
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Best season for macaws: All year round
Características
Size ranges from 80 to 96 cm. Red head with an ivory-colored bare face, as well as the iris. The beak has an ivory upper mandible with a black stripe and a black lower mandible. The neck and ventral region are red. The back is red and blue. The wings are tricolored: scarlet red, followed by yellow in the middle, and blue at the tips. The supracaudal feathers are blue. The tail is the same size as or larger than the wings and is red. The legs are black.
Habitat
It inhabits humid forests, gallery forests, and open areas that still have large trees. Its diet consists of seeds from canopy trees (leguminous trees, ceibas, rubber trees, palms, among others). It is gregarious and can form large mixed flocks with other species of the genus. It is a socially monogamous bird for life, nesting once a year in tree cavities. It raises one to two nestling chicks that remain with their parents for one to two years, resulting in slow population growth.
Distribution
It is found in warm, humid, or moderately dry areas of lowland in Central and South America, from sea level up to 500 m in elevation. In Colombia, it is primarily located in the lower Magdalena Valley in the northern part of the country and in the eastern Andes, mainly in the departments of Meta, Casanare, and Vaupés. The occurrence of this species in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley is due to the release of individuals that were in captivity by official environmental entities. In the city, it is commonly seen in wooded areas such as parks, universities, and particularly in the El Poblado neighborhood, where some nesting attempts have been reported.
*Source:https://www.eafit.edu.co/institucional/campus-eafit/universidad-parque/aves/Paginas/guacamaya-bandera.aspx
