Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- green-winged macaw, green wing macaw
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae (true parrots)
- Genus Species
- Ara (macaw) chloroptera (green wing)
Fast Facts
- Description
- The green-winged macaw is a large parrot covered with mostly red plumage. The wing and tail feathers are blue and green, hence its name. This macaw has a white, naked face, striped with small red feathers. The beak is strongly hooked and the feet are zygodactylous (2 toes that point forward and 2 toes that point backward).
- Size
- Approximately 65 to 92.5 cm (26 to 37 in.); wingspan 102 to 122.5 cm (41 to 49 in.)
- Weight
- Approximately 1250 to 1700 g (43.8 to 59.5 oz)
- Diet
- Feeds on seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, leaves, salts, and minerals of riverbanks
- Incubation
- Approximately 28 days
- Clutch Size
- Up to 3 eggs
- Fledging Duration
- 90 to 100 days
- Sexual Maturity
- 3 to 4 years
- Life Span
- Up to 60 to 80 years
- Range
- Widely distributed throughout South America
- Habitat
- Found in tropical rainforests, savannas, and mangroves
- Population
- Global: Unknown
- Status
- IUCN: Least Concern
CITES: Appendix II
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
Green-winged macaws are the second largest parrots next to the hyacinth macaw.
They have one of the largest, broadest ranges of any macaw species.
Macaws are normally monogamous, having only one mate for life.
They are often mistaken for scarlet macaws due to their general red appearance.
In the wild, macaws often flock to mountains of clay known as "macaw licks." Such licks contain minerals and salts essential to the bird's diet.
Macaws are able to reach speeds of up to 56 kph (35 mph).
Ecology and Conservation
Macaws are very messy eaters. Their extremely strong beaks are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts of nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack open hard-shelled nuts, such as Brazil nuts. 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 regenerating much of the forest growth.
They are also popular in the pet trade.
The green-winged macaw is extinct in some parts of its range, including Argentina.
The U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import of any bird listed by CITES which includes most parrots, which are endangered or threatened.
Bibliography
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.
Perrins, C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts on File Publications. 1985.
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/search/simple
BirdLife International 2016. Ara chloropterus . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22685566A93080287. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22685566A93080287.en. Downloaded on 12 March 2020.
