Scarlet macaw

Ara Macao

A large yellow, red and blue Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of the Neotropics. Its range extends from south-eastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) (at least formerly) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage.

Classification

  • Class

    Aves

  • Domain

    Eukaryota

  • Family

    Psittacidae

  • Genus

    Ara

  • Kingdom

    Animalia

  • Order

    Psittaciformes

  • Phylum

    Chordata

  • Species

    A. macao

Vernacular Name

Scarlet macaw

Binomial Name

Ara Macao

References