Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful parrot. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics, from extreme eastern Mexico locally to Amazonian Peru and Brazil, in lowlands up to 500 meters. It has been widely extirpated by habitat destruction and capture for the pet trade. Formerly, it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas. A full-sized macaw can become quite heavy and reach 96 cm in length. More than half of this is the pointed, graduated tail typical of macaws.The plumage of a Scarlet Macaw is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upper wing coverts are yellow, whilst the upper sides of the flight feathers dark blue, as are the ends of the tail feathers. The undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence. This is quite a rainbow of colours and what makes these birds so attractive, especially in flight. There is bare white skin around the eye and from there to the bill. The upper beak is mostly pale horn in color and the lower is black. There is no difference in the sexes, and the only difference between ages is that young birds have dark eyes, and adults have light yellow eyes. Macaws need plenty of room in a cage, and long periods of exercise outside of it. A parrot playgym and large bird cage will prevent them taking a liking to and destroying your furniture. These birds as pets are not for the faint or half-hearted enthusiast, they are high maintenance and any owner must be prepared to learn all that there is to know about their upkeep and the environment that they will undoubtedly need.