Red-and-Green Macaw

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 |

The Red-and-green Macaw, also known as the Green-winged Macaw, is often mistaken for the Scarlet Macaw, another large macaw of the Ara genus, because of its predominant red feathering. The breast of the Red-and-green Macaw is bright red, but the lower feathers of the wing are green. Iridescent teal feathers are surrounded by red on the tail. In addition, the Red-and-green Macaw has characteristic red lines around the eyes formed by rows of tiny feathers on the otherwise bare white skin patch; this is one of the biggest differences from a scarlet macaw to the casual viewer. This is the most common of the large macaws in the wild, and the largest of the Ara genus, widespread in the forests of Northern South America. However, in common with other macaws, in recent years there has been a marked decline in its numbers due to habitat loss and illegal capture for the pet trade.

Description

The superficially similar Scarlet Macaw has a yellow band on each wing, and no red facial patch lines. Some macaw owners and experts call the Red-and-green Macaw the "gentle giant", as it is larger in size than the Scarlet Macaw and Blue-and-yellow Macaw, but has a more docile, sweet nature which often makes it a more desirable pet or companion parrot. However, with size comes strength that must be considered when deciding if a Red-and-green Macaw would be a fit addition to a household. It is second only in size to the Hyacinth Macaw, the largest bird of the macaw family. The wingspan of the greenwing macaw can be up to 49 inches (125 cm), with a total body length of 39 inches (100 cm). A healthy adult will weigh between 1,250 and 1,700 grams.

Beak

The Red-and-green Macaw has a very powerful beak which can generate a pressure of 2000 psi and can snap a broomstick in half. This powerful beak has evolved to crush or open even the hardest nuts and seeds.

The Red-and-green Macaw generally mates for life. The female typically lays two or three eggs in a nest made in a hole in a tree. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 90 days after hatching.

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