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Life in the Forest

Life in the River

The Insect World

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Macaws and Parrots

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Macaws and Parrots

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.

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.

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.