Ara is a neotropical genus of macaws with eight extant species and at least two extinct species. The Ara macaws are large striking parrots with long tails, long narrow wings and vividly coloured plumage. They all have a characteristic bare face patch around the eyes. Males and females have similar plumage.
The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large, red, yellow and blue South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical South America. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil.
It is about 80 centimetres long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typical of all macaws, though the scarlet macaw has a larger percentage of tail than the other large macaws. The average weight is about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upper wing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence. Some individuals may have green in the wings. There is bare white skin around the eye and from there to the bill. The upper mandible is mostly pale horn in color and the lower is black. Juveniles have dark eyes; adults have light yellow eyes.
Scarlet macaws make very loud, high and sometimes low-pitched, throaty squawks, squeaks and screams designed to carry many miles to call for their groups. The scarlet macaw can live up to 70 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years.
Scarlet macaws eat mostly fruits, nuts and seeds, including large, hard seeds. Scarlet macaws mate for life. The hen lays two or three white eggs in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs for about 5 weeks, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 90 days after hatching and leave their parents about a year later. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at five years of age.
The Scarlet Macaw parrot is known for being very intelligent and loving (when raised correctly). Scarlet Macaws are definitely trainable–you can teach them to talk and learn tricks fairly easily.
Many bird owners are intimidated by the Scarlet Macaw’s strong will and large beak. Their beaks are very strong–one bite can lead you to the emergency room. These birds are not good for first-time bird owners. You need to be very experienced with birds in order to keep one of these, somewhat difficult, creatures.
