biology

Red-and-green macaw

Red-and-green macaw is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Red-and-green macaw rather than just read about it. In short: The red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus), also known as the green-winged macaw, is a large, mostly-red macaw of the genus Ara. It is popular in aviculture, and is the second most commonly kept macaw species after the blue-and-yellow macaw.

Key takeaways

Red-and-green macaw belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Red-and-green macaw to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Red-and-green macaw from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus), also known as the green-winged macaw, is a large, mostly-red macaw of the genus Ara. It is popular in aviculture, and is the second most commonly kept macaw species after the blue-and-yellow macaw. However, they are not as common in captivity as the blue-and-yellow, and are much more expensive; prices are often double that of the blue-and-gold. This is the largest of the genus Ara, widespread in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America. However, in common with other macaws, in recent years there has been a marked decline in its numbers due to habitat loss and illegal capture for the parrot trade.

Description The green-winged macaw can be readily distinguished from the scarlet macaw. While the breast of both birds are bright red, the upper-wing covert feathers of the green-winged macaw is mostly green (as opposed to mostly yellow, or a strong mix of yellow and green in the scarlet macaw). In addition, the green-winged macaw has characteristic red lines around the eyes formed by rows of tiny feathers on the otherwise bare white skin patch; this is one of the biggest differences from a scarlet macaw to the casual viewer. Iridescent teal feathers are surrounded by red on the tail. If seen together, the green-winged macaw is clearly larger than the scarlet macaw as well. In terms of length, this species is second only in size to the hyacinth macaw, the largest of the macaws. The red-and-green macaw attains a total body length of 90 to 95 cm (35 to 37 in) in adults. Twelve adults were found to average 1,214 g (2.676 lb). A weight range of between 1,050 and 1,708 g (2.315 and 3.765 lb) has been reported. While its weight range is broadly similar to that of the hyacinth, the average weight of the red-and-green macaw is slightly surpassed by both the hyacinth and great green macaws, and amongst all living parrots additionally by the kākāpō.

Behavior The green-winged macaw generally mates for life. The female typically lays two or three eggs in a nest made in a hole in a tree. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 90 days after hatching.

Population recovery Since 1999 a population has appeared on Trinidad. Although these might have escaped from captivity, it is also possible they have a wild origin and represent an expansion of the species' range. The historical range of this species is thought to have stretched southwards to include the Argentine provinces of Chaco, Corrientes, Formosa and Misiones. While feathers found in a Yschma tomb near Pachacamac from this species demonstrate cross-Andes trade ca. 1000–1470 CE. Hunting for meat, the pet trade and changes in land use are thought to have caused the species to be extirpated throughout its Argentine range by the 1960s. The species is listed as critically endangered in Argentina. In the mid-2010s birds were discovered to have colonised Iguazú National Park, and as of 2019 the species appears to have spread further into nearby Parque provincial Puerto Península. The species is furthermore the subject of a re-introduction programme to Iberá Provincial Reserve in the province of Corrientes by the World Parrot Trust, Aves Argentinas and Fundación CLT (Conservation Land Trust) (and perhaps BirdLife International), which is hoped may promote tourism to the area. Captive birds from Britain were imported in 2015 and the first pair of British birds was released in February 2019. Its wild population is estimated to be currently between 50,000 and 499,999 individuals. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, trade restricted.

Gallery

References

External links

World Parrot Trust Archived 2015-07-03 at the Wayback Machine Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles Red-and-green macaw videos on the Internet Bird Collection Stamps (9 countries) with RangeMap Green-winged macaw photo gallery Archived 2021-05-09 at the Wayback Machine VIREO

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Red-and-green macaw

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Red-and-green macaw claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Red-and-green macaw before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Red-and-green macaw ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Red-and-green macaw

In research: Red-and-green macaw appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Red-and-green macaw in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Red-and-green macaw is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ara (bird), Birds described in 1859, Birds of Colombia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Red-and-green macaw outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Red-and-green macaw in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Red-and-green macaw means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Red-and-green macaw out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Red-and-green macaw in simple terms?

Why does Red-and-green macaw matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Red-and-green macaw?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Red-and-green macaw.