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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
blue
& gold macaw, blue & yellow macaw |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Psittaciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Psittacidae
(true parrots) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ara
(macaw) ararauna |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
This
is a large parrot with long tail feathers and mainly
blue and yellow in color. The forehead is green;
the upper part of the body a brilliant blue; the
sides of the neck and body is golden yellow. These
macaws also have black around chin and cheeks, and
the naked skin of cheeks is pinkish-white with lines
of very small, isolated black feathers. The blue
and gold macaw has a strongly hooked beak and zygodactylous
feet (2 toes that point forward and 2 toes that
point backward). |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
85-90 cm (34-36 in.); wingspan 102-112.5 cm (41-45
in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
900-1200 g (2-2.7 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Feeds
on seeds, fruits, nuts, and berries |
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| INCUBATION: |
Approximately
29 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-3 eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
After
4 months; young then remain with parents for up
to a year |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2-4 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 80 years |
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| RANGE: |
Eastern
Panama through Columbia, Ecuador, and Brazil |
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| HABITAT: |
Found
in forests and swamps |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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|
| 1. |
Macaws
are often monogamous, remaining bonded for life.
They are often seen flying in large flocks and the
bonded pairs fly close together, their wings nearly
touching. |
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| 2. |
In the wild, macaws often flock to mountains of
clay known as "macaw licks". |
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| 3. |
When disturbed, these bright birds screech loudly
and circle overhead with their long tails streaming. |
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| 4. |
Macaws
are playful and inquisitive and are able to mimic
human vocalizations very well. |
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| 5. |
Macaws
are extremely messy eaters - their incredibly strong
beaks are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts
of nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack
open incredibly hard-shelled nuts with ease. |
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| 6. |
Macaws
are able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. |
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In
the course of daily feeding, macaws allow plenty
of seeds (while eating, as well as in their droppings)
to fall to the forest floor, thus generating much
of the forest growth.
The
U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import
of any bird listed by CITES which includes most
parrots - endangered or threatened.
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|
|
Forshaw, J.M. Parrots of the World. New Jersey.
T.F.H. Publications Inc. 1978. |
|
|
Marrison, C. and A. Greensmith. Birds of the
World. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc.
1993.
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| Perrins,
C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New
York: Facts on File Publications. 1985. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/search/simple/ |
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