Macaws are a group of large New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful, in the tribe Arini. 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 Psittacidae (true parrots) genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca. Previously, the members of the genus Primolius were placed in Propyrrhura, but the former is correct in accordance with ICZN rules. In addition, the related macaw-like thick-billed parrot is sometimes referred to as a "macaw", although it is not phylogenetically considered to be a macaw species. Macaws are native to Central America and North America (only Mexico), South America, and formerly the Caribbean. Most species are associated with forests, but others prefer woodland or savannah-like habitats. 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. The largest macaws are the hyacinth, Buffon's (great green) and green-winged macaws. While still relatively large parrots, mini-macaws of the genera Cyanopsitta, Orthopsittaca and Primolius are significantly smaller than the members of Anodorhynchus and Ara. The smallest macaw species, the red-shouldered macaw, is no larger than some parakeets of the genus Aratinga. Macaws, like other parrots, toucans and woodpeckers, are zygodactyl, having their first and fourth toes pointing backward.
Species in taxonomic order
There are 19 species of macaws, including extinct and critically endangered species. In addition, there are several hypothetical extinct species that have been proposed based on very little evidence.
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 (considered 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 (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 hypothetical extinct species of macaws have been postulated based on little evidence, and they may have been subspecies, or familiar parrots that were imported onto an island and later wrongly presumed to have a separate identity.
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 most likely 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. Prehistoric Native Americans in the American Southwest farmed macaws in establishments known as "feather factories". 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. This would explain why the blue and gold is the most commonly hybridised macaw, and why the hybridising trend took hold among macaws. Common macaw hybrids include the harlequin (Ara ararauna × Ara chloroptera), miligold macaw (Ara ararauna × Ara militaris) and the Catalina (known as the rainbow in Australia, Ara ararauna × Ara macao). In addition, unusual but apparently healthy intergeneric hybrids between the hyacinth macaw and several of the larger Ara macaws have also occasionally been seen in captivity. Another, much rarer, occurrence of a second-generation hybrid (F2) is the miliquin macaw (harlequin and military macaws).
Diet and clay licks
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