Blue Macaw (Amazon) Brazil

Blue Macaw
The hyacinth macaw is a bird of the parrot family, as well as parrots, parakeets, parrots, among others.

There are three known species of hyacinth macaw: the great hyacinth macaw, the lear's hyacinth macaw and the small hyacinth macaw, the last of which is considered extinct and the others endangered.

Who is the Blue Macaw?
The hyacinth macaw or great hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is a bird of exuberant blue plumage, with a yellow stripe around the eyes and another near the jaw, strong curved beaks and a long tail. It can measure up to 1.5 m from the head to the tip of the tail and weigh up to 1.5 kg.

Habitat and Food
They have a specialized diet, they like to eat fruits from the bocaiúva and acuri trees. They remove the outermost fibrous husk and taste the inside of the coconuts.
The hyacinth macaws inhabit the Pantanal (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bolivia and Paraguay), in addition to the states of Tocantins, Piauí, Maranhão and Bahia, and also in the region close to Serra dos Carajás, in Pará.

Behavior
The hyacinth macaws like to show off and are docile, allowing the approach of humans, which facilitates capture by hunters.
They fly in flocks and tend to isolate themselves during the reproductive period. During the night they gather to sleep, they can group together by the hundreds in the trees called dormitories.
It is common to see couples caressing each other with the beak (behavior called preening) which serves for cleaning the feathers as well as socializing the birds.

reproduction
Hyacinth macaws are faithful birds that live together for a lifetime. The reproductive rate is low, usually 2 eggs are laid but only one of the chicks survives in each litter.
The nest is made in natural cavities of trunks such as the manduvi, a large tree, typical of the Pantanal. The eggs hatch after 28 days of incubation.

Lear's Macaw
The Lear's Macaw (Anodorhynchus leari) is endemic to northeastern Brazil, which means that it is only found in this area. She lives in the Bahian caatinga, in the region known as Raso da Catarina and in the Canudos Biological Reserve.

This species is smaller than the large hyacinth macaw and more similar to the small hyacinth macaw in coloration. Its plumage is blue-green on the head and lighter on the belly, with the yellowish ring around the eyes and near the jaw (the shape of this spot differs from the hyacinth macaw).

It is around 70 cm long, has large beaks and a long tail. Its favorite food is the seeds of palm trees from the region and the fruits of the pine and umbuzeiro, however, when it does not find the fruits available in nature, it can feed on corn.

Little Blue Macaw
The Little Blue Macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) was found in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. However, there have been no reports of sightings of this bird since the 1960s, so many scientists consider it to be extinct in the wild.

However, by the IUCN it is defined as critically endangered, which means that there may still be animals in the wild, but if that occurs the population would be less than 50 individuals.

Their diet consisted mainly of palm seeds and fruits. Not much is known about the species.

Why are Macaws in Extinction?
Animal trafficking, in addition to deforestation, winds, rains and fires are the main threats, as they destroy the trees they use for their nests and food.

Due to the efforts of biologists and conservationists, the numbers of this bird have increased in Brazil, especially in reserves and in the Pantanal where there is a management project for the species.

It is not on the list of endangered Brazilian animals, but by the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) it appears on the red list classified as a vulnerable species.