One of the most beautiful parrots in the world, the Scarlet Macaw lives in the canopies and cliffs within the Amazon Rainforest, where it nests high above the forest floor in hollow trees. Usually red and yellow with white patches on its face, the macaw is also blue and green. They are about 3 feet long and weigh an average of 2 pounds.

           These gentle flying creatures prefer to eat nuts, flowers, nectar and sometimes even unripe fruits that other animals avoid eating. To digest the unripe fruits however, they eat clay from riverbanks. When the macaws mate, they usually produce one or two young and nurse the chicks until they are old enough to leave, which is usually within two years. The macaw reproduction rate is slow because they only mate again when their first chick is grown and out of the nest.

           The average lifespan of a Macaw is between 30 to 50 years, although some have reached the age of 75. Popular as pets, these parrots are very expensive to buy and maintain. They require a lot of room to move about, and demand attention and affection when captive. If left alone for long periods of time, the parrots could become aggressive and depressed. They can be trained to talk, but are sometimes noisy and disruptive.

           Along with every other animal living in the Amazon, the Scarlet Macaw is constantly threatened by deforestation and species separation. However, other types of birds living beside the macaw aren’t as admired as the colorful parrot, and can’t be bred as pets.