Animals
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Macaws and Parrots
Macaws are the largest member of the parrot family (New Zealand's Kea is the heaviest). Their bright colours make them popular (and expensive) pets, and as photographic subjects they must surely be one of the world's most photographed birds.
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There are many different varieties of
macaw throughout South America and the Caribbean, and
they come in a true rainbow of colours. Unfortunately
some of the Caribbean species are now extinct, but there
are still 17 species of macaw remaining.
The macaw's popularity has meant that
large numbers have been captured (legally and illegally)
and exported to pet shops around the world. This trade is
very lucrative considering that macaws are usually worth
several thousand dollars each but, combined with pressure
on their natural environment, it has resulted in their
numbers decreasing in the wild. In fact, some of the
rarest species of macaw have disappeared almost entirely
from the wild and now can only be found in pet stores and
aviaries. Fortunately, because macaws breed fairly well
in captivity, their numbers should be able to be
maintained from existing stocks instead of capturing more
macaws from the wild.
Macaw's bright colours are a clever
form of camouflage which helps them to hide from
predators – when sitting in the treetops they are
easily be mistaken for brightly-coloured fruit. Their
beaks are extremely hard and sharp, being specially
adapted for cracking open hard nuts (such as the Brazil
Nut) which macaws are very fond of eating. They are also
very fond of eating fruit.
