From Opus

Ara chloropterus

Photo by barrancoalto
Photographed in Brazil.

[edit] Identification

Length 80-95 cm/maximum 37 inches.
Upperside: red mantle and red small and median upper-wing coverts, green greater coverts constitute a green bar on the upper wing of the flying bird, marine-blue flight feathers, paler blue rump, and red tail with blue tip. Underside is almost entirely red with pale blue undertail coverts. Head is red except for sides covered in mostly white skin with rows of tiny red feathers producing dark lines. Bill has brown lower mandible and upper mandible mostly pale horn.

[edit] Similar species

Scarlet Macaw has yellow in the wing.

[edit] Distribution

Central America: eastern Panama
South America: Colombia but not in the Andes, Venezuela, The Guianas, Brazil (not in easternmost areas), Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species¹.

[edit] Habitat

Forests (ranging from humid to quite dry), savannas with trees, and wooded areas along rivers. Everywhere limited to lowlands except possibly in western Colombia and Eastern Panama, a population not connected with the rest.

[edit] Behaviour

They feed on a variety of seeds and fruits.

They nest either in holes in trees or in holes in cliffs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Ber van Perlo. 2009. A field guide to the Birds of Brazil. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7
3. Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
4. Birdforum thread discussing id of Red-and-green Macaw vs Scarlet Macaw

• List of references

[edit] External Links