Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a uncommon african and new world parrot found in 25 countries, weighing about 1.0 kg. The scarlet macaw also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, green, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas.
About the Scarlet Macaw
The scarlet macaw also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, green, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, the northern extent of its range included 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…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
It is about 84 centimeters (33 in) long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typical of all macaws, though the scarlet macaw has a larger percentage of tail than the other large macaws. The average weight is about 1 kilogram (2 lb 3 oz). The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upper wing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence.
What the Scarlet Macaw sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Belize, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, France, Netherlands, Australia, Argentina, Guadeloupe, Maldives.
When to see it
The Scarlet Macaw can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Watch the Scarlet Macaw on live cams
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Scarlet Macaw?
- It is about 84 centimeters (33 in) long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typical of all macaws, though the scarlet macaw has a larger percentage of tail than the other large macaws. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Scarlet Macaw?
- The Scarlet Macaw is a large sized bird weighing about 1.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Scarlet Macaw?
- The Scarlet Macaw occurs in 25 countries, including Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador.
- What does a Scarlet Macaw sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Scarlet Macaw on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Scarlet Macaw?
- The Scarlet Macaw is most easily confused with the Chestnut-fronted Macaw, the Blue-and-yellow Macaw and the Red-and-green Macaw.
- Is the Scarlet Macaw endangered?
- The Scarlet Macaw is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Scarlet Macaw for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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