Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Ara ararauna

The blue-and-yellow macaw, also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large South American parrot with blue top parts and yellow under parts. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. It inhabits forest and woodland of tropical South America.
Blue and Yellow Macaws These macaws have been free-flying in Kirkby Stephen for well over 25 years. They return at night to a place of safety. There is a charity trust fund which pays out up to £ 10,000 each year for damage done to chimneys. There are also Scarlet Macaws, the hybrid and some African parrots. Ara ararauna,Blue-and-yellow macaw,Cumbria,Kirkby Stephen

Appearance

These birds can reach a length of 76–86 cm and weigh 0.900–1.5 kg, making them some of the larger members of their family.

They are vivid in appearance with blue wings and tail, dark-blue chin, golden under parts, and a green forehead. Their beaks are black. The naked face is white, turning pink in excited birds, and lined with small, black feathers.

Little variation in plumage is seen across the range. Some birds have a more orange or "butterscotch" underside color, particularly on the breast. This was often seen in Trinidad birds and others of the Caribbean area. The blue-and-yellow macaw uses its powerful beak for breaking nutshells, and for climbing up and hanging from trees.
Group of Blue and Yellow Macaws A wonderfully colourful tree-top display from these highly sociable macaws Ara ararauna,Blue-and-yellow macaw,Orinoco Delta

Distribution

This species occurs in Venezuela and south to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The range extends slightly into Central America, where it is restricted to Panama.

The species' range formerly included Trinidad, but it became extinct there by 1970 as a result of human activities. Between 1999 and 2003, wild-caught blue-and-gold macaws were translocated from Guyana to Trinidad, in an attempt to re-establish the species in a protected area around Nariva swamp. A small breeding population descended from introduced birds is found in Puerto Rico, and another has inhabited Miami-Dade County, Florida, since the mid-1980s.
Blue-and-yellow macaw - ara ararauna - Ara bleu et jaune Ara ararauna,Blue-and-yellow macaw,France,Geotagged

Status

The blue-and-yellow macaw is on the verge of being extirpated in Paraguay, but it still remains widespread and fairly common in a large part of mainland South America. The species is therefore listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, trade restricted.
Parrot Canon 60D and Tamron 70-300mm lens used Ara ararauna,Blue-and-yellow macaw,parrot

Reproduction

The blue-and-yellow macaw generally mates for life. They nest almost exclusively in dead palms and most nests are in "Mauritia flexuosa" palms.

The female typically lays two or three eggs. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days.

One chick is dominant and gets most of the food; the others perish in the nest. Chicks fledge from the nest about 97 days after hatching. The male bird's color signals readiness for breeding. The brighter and bolder the colors, the better the chance of getting a mate.

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