About the Red-shouldered Macaw
The red-shouldered macaw is a small green South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest macaw, being 30 cm (12 in) in length – similar in size to the Aratinga parakeets. It is native to the tropical lowlands, savannahs, and swamplands of Brazil, the Guianas, Bolivia, Venezuela, and far south-eastern Peru. There are three subspecies: The noble macaw, Hahn's macaw, and the long-winged macaw. The long-winged macaw is a poorly distinct third subspecies that has longer wings, but is otherwise similar to the noble macaw. The Hahn's subspecies is named for German zoologist…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The red-shouldered macaw, at 30 cm (12 in) long and 165 g (5.8 oz), is the smallest of all the macaws. Like all macaws, it has a long narrow tail and a large head. It has bright green feathers on the body, with dark or slate blue feathers on the head just above the beak. The wings and tail have feathers that are bright green above and olive-green below. The leading edges of the wings, especially on the underside, are red. (These red feathers appear at puberty.) Their eyes are orange, and the skin around the eyes is white without feathers, just as in the larger macaws.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Singapore, Paraguay.
When to see it
Peak activity in October · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
White-winged ParakeetBrotogeris versicolurusThe white-winged parakeet typically is 22 cm in length, and is mostly green in color.
Dusky-headed ParakeetAratinga weddelliiThe dusky-headed parakeet, also known as Weddell's conure or dusky-headed conure in aviculture, is a small green Neotropical parrot with dusty grey head found in wooded habitats in the western Amazon basin of South America.
Meyer's ParrotPoicephalus meyeriMeyer's parrot, also known as the brown parrot, is a species of parrot native to Africa.
Learn the Red-shouldered Macaw for real
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