Scarlet Macaw
(Ara Macao)
    The scarlet macaws are rarer than some other macaws. They are very colorful. They look like a rainbow. Starting with the head and shoulders they are a deep red color, changing to yellow about mid body, and finally blue and green on the lower part of the body and wings. The tail turns back to a deep red. A full sized macaw can weigh up to 2 pounds and be as long as 85 cm (33.5 inches). They have sharp beaks and sharp claws. They climb with their claws and beak. They can climb very high. Scarlet macaws clean themselves by picking at each other's feathers.

    Scarlet macaws live in the eastern hemisphere. They mainly live in South America in Bolivia, and Paraguay, although some macaws live in in eastern Panama down to east of the Andes and in southern North America.

    The macaws' habitat is the canopy of the rainforest. They live high in the upper branches of the trees. They live high up to get away from heat and predators. Only in the morning and at night do they stay together. In the day they scatter and feed.

    In a normal diet they will eat fruits and seeds. As much as they can, they will eat nuts. Sometimes they will eat berries.

    The scarlet macaw lays two or three eggs which incubate for about 28 days. The babies will stay in the nest for about 3 ½ months. When the macaw has babies, it will only eat things it can mush, like corn and grapes.

    Some scarlet macaws can be trained to talk or repeat what people say.

For more information visit:
http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/birds/mac/mac1.html
http://www.scz.org/animals/m/scarlet.html
http://users1.vastnet.net/jcmacaw/scarlet.htm
http://www.thewildones.org.   (Click on site map, then animals, and look under birds.)
                                                                                       by Julie
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