Green-winged Macaw Factfile

Scientific Name : Ara chloropterus

World Distribution

Green-winged macaws are found in the upper half of South America.

Habitat

They inhabit tropical rainforests, spending much of their time in the upper canopy ( the highest parts of the trees.) They are very agile climbers, with feet that are well designed for gripping branches and narrow pointed wings that enable them to manouvre between the trees in flight.

Feeding

They live mainly on fruit and nuts, which they crack open with their strong curved beaks. They hold their food with one foot while they eat it.

Macaws have been seen to take great risks by leaving the safe upper branches and flying to the ground to eat clay. This means that the clay must contain something of great importance to them. Some scientists now believe that it cures the tummy ache which macaws get from eating hard, under-ripe fruit!

Predators

They are preyed on by many of the rainforest's predators, such as monkeys, snakes, cats and birds of prey. They feel safest high up in the trees. Human beings sometimes eat macaws.

Breeding

Macaws pair for life and show great love and affection for their partner by licking each other's faces. The female lays 2-4 eggs in a nest in a hollow tree. She stays with them while the male brings her food, but when they hatch (after 24-25 days) both parents care for the chicks, feeding them with a special liquid from their beaks.

The chicks stay in the nest for about 14 weeks, but they will remain with their parents for up to 2 years. The parents won't have any more babies until the first ones have left home!

Other interesting facts

• Like most macaws, green-winged macaws have bald patches on the sides of their faces, probably useful for temperature control. They have red stripes made up of tiny feathers running across these bare patches.
  (Scarlet macaws, which you can also see at the Wildlife Park, have no red stripes on their faces - an easy way to tell them from the green-winged ones.)

• Macaws are sociable birds, living in groups of about 20. They keep in touch with each other with loud screeches and squawks.

• Macaws can learn to copy human speech very well (although they do not understand what they are saying).

• Because they make affectionate pets, macaws have in the past been captured in large numbers and sold to pet shops. This is now illegal but it still goes on to some extent.
  
  

  Facts and Figures
  Name	green-winged macaw
  Type of animal	bird
  Where found	South America
  Habitat	tropical rainforest
  Diet	herbivorous
  Average length	90 cm
  Average weight	1 kg
  Average number of young per year	2
  Egg incubation	26 days
  Maximum lifespan	50 years
  Note for Teachers

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