The red-and-green macaw

This really colorful macaw is a close relative of the scarlet macaw. They are both very beautiful birds, and the most significant difference in their appearance is the different colors of the upper wing covert feathers (green at the red-and-green macaw and yellow at the scarlet macaw) and the little red lines around the eyes, on a white area.  They are very popular pets, but their natural habitat is represented by the Amazonian jungle, where their number sadly started to decline.

BIOMETRICS:
Length: 90-95 cm
Wingspan: 125 cm
Weight: 1050-1700 g

LONGEVITY: Up to 60-80 years

DESCRIPTION:
Very similar to the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), the Red-and-Green Macaw has darker red plumage and green upperwing, instead of yellow. In addition, the white face shows red feathered lines. It is the second largest parrot after the Hyacinth Macaw.
Adult male has red head and mantle. Median wing-coverts, scapulars and tertials are green. Back, rump and uppertail coverts are blue. The long tail is red with blue tips.
The underparts are dark red, except the blue undertail coverts.
The head is red with white bare face, showing red-feathered lines. The strong, hooked bill has horn-coloured upper mandible, with blackish sides of base. The lower mandible is blackish. The eyes are pale yellow. Legs and feet are grey.
Both sexes are similar.

VOICE:
Red-and-Green Macaw utters raucous “raw-aawk” repeated, and also screeching “ree-eeah”. It gives sometimes corvid-like calls ‘kraaah”.
When alarmed, it flies off while giving loud screeches.

HABITAT:
Red-and-Green Macaw lives in the forested areas of northern South America, such as rainforest in tropical northern areas, and deciduous and gallery forests along watercourses in southern parts.
This species needs large trees and cliff faces for nesting. It can be found up to 500 metres of elevation, sometimes up to 1500 metres in Panama.

RANGE:
Red-and-Green Macaw is found in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins, occupying almost the half north of South America, except the coastal regions. It lives in Central and South America, including Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil and Trinidad.

BEHAVIOUR:
Red-and-Green Macaw is often seen alone, or in pairs, and also in small family groups. However, great numbers gather at clay-licks with other species. In some parts of the range, such as in south-eastern Peru, there are exposed banks of clay in the forest. Several species of parrots scrape off fine particles of clay with the bill, and swallow them. The clay helps these birds to detoxify themselves against the toxic substances included in seeds and unripe fruits which are their main food.