Blue-winged macaw

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Blue-winged macaw
Primolius maracana -two captive-8a.jpg
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Primolius
Species:
P. maracana
Binomial name
Primolius maracana
(Vieillot, 1816)
Primolius maracana map.svg

The blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana), in aviculture more commonly known as Illiger's macaw, is a species of small macaw (sometimes called a mini-macaw) found in central and eastern South America. The second name is in honor of the German ornithologist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger. [3] It was previously placed in the genera Ara or Propyrrhura. Blue-winged macaws have been known to reach an age of 50–60 years.

Contents

Description

It has a total length of approximately 36–43 cm (14–17 in). It has a moderately sized black bill, a long tail and a mainly green plumage. The upperside of the remiges and primary coverts are blue, as indicated by its common name. The underside of the wings is yellowish, the tail-tip, crown and cheeks are bluish, and the tail-base and small belly-patch are red. The iris is amber. It and the red-bellied macaw are the only macaws where the bare facial-skin is yellowish, but this often fades to white in captivity. Unlike the red-bellied macaw, the blue-winged has a red lower abdomen and a red lower back. [4] In the wild, its flight pattern is said to be a distinctive 'jerky, rearing motion.' [3]

Habitat and food

The blue-winged macaw occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (with a remnant population north-east), eastern Paraguay and, at least formerly, in far north-eastern Argentina and east of Bolivia. It occurs in evergreen and deciduous forests, with a preference for gallery forest. They mainly feed on seeds of Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus , Jatropha , Guazuma ulmifolia , and the non-native Melia azedarach . However, the birds also feed on fruits and nuts.

Breeding

The blue-winged macaw attain sexual maturity between 2 and 4 years after they are born. Adult females usually produce two eggs which take approximately 29 days to hatch. Young blue-winged macaws learn to fly about 11 weeks after they have hatched. They stay with their parents for about a year after learning to fly. Relatively little information exists on its reproduction in the wild, but the breeding season in north-eastern Brazil is apparently from December to February. However, in 1990, a female blue-winged macaw was discovered with a male Spix's macaw in a site.

Threats

These birds are affected mostly by deforestation. They were also captured for the cagebird trade - from 1977 to 1979, 183 birds arrived at the United States from Paraguay. It has declined in the southern part of its range, and there are no recent records from Misiones Province in Argentina where many were killed by farmers who considered them pests. [5] Therefore, it was previously considered vulnerable. Information from Brazil suggests it remains widespread and has even re-colonised areas in its historical range in southern Rio de Janeiro. This has led to it being downlisted to near threatened.

Aviculture

The blue-winged macaw is sometimes kept by humans as an aviary bird or companion parrot. An intensely social bird and a strong flier, this macaw does best when housed with other birds (whether other blue-winged macaws or member of a different parrot species) and given plenty of space in which to fly. It is also an avid chewer and may damage its keeper's property unless provided with wooden destructible objects to occupy its time. Captive breeding of this species is encouraged, due to conservation concerns. [6] If kept as a pet, the blue-winged macaw can bond strongly with humans and some individuals may even begin to mirror their owner's emotional state. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macaw</span> Bird of the parrot family

Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful, in the tribe Arini. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conure</span> Group of small to medium-sized parrots

Conures are a diverse, loosely defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. They belong to several genera within a long-tailed group of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae. The term "conure" is used primarily in bird keeping, though it has appeared in some scientific journals. The American Ornithologists' Union uses the generic term parakeet for all species elsewhere called conure, though Joseph Forshaw, a prominent Australian ornithologist, uses conure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spix's macaw</span> Species of macaw that is extinct in the wild

Spix's macaw, also known as the little blue macaw, is a macaw species that was endemic to Brazil. It is a member of tribe Arini in the subfamily Arinae, part of the family Psittacidae. It was first described by German naturalist Georg Marcgrave, when he was working in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil in 1638 and it is named for German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who collected a specimen in 1819 on the bank of the Rio São Francisco in northeast Bahia in Brazil. This bird has been completely extirpated from its natural range, and following a several-year survey, the IUCN officially declared it extinct in the wild in 2019. However, after over 20 years of conservation efforts, 200 macaws have been bred from just two parent birds, and 52 individual birds have since been reintroduced into their natural environment in June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-cheeked parakeet</span> Species of bird

The green-cheeked parakeet, known as the green-cheeked conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet macaw</span> Species of bird

The scarlet macaw is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, the northern extent of its range included southern Tamaulipas. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-and-green macaw</span> Species of bird

The red-and-green macaw, also known as the green-winged macaw, is a large, mostly-red macaw of the genus Ara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-and-yellow macaw</span> Species of bird

The blue-and-yellow macaw, also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. It inhabits forest, woodland and savannah of tropical Central and South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. They are popular in aviculture because of their striking color, ability to talk, ready availability in the marketplace, and close bonding to humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyacinth macaw</span> Species of bird (parrot)

The hyacinth macaw, or hyacinthine macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length of about one meter it is longer than any other species of parrot. It is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species; the flightless kākāpō of New Zealand outweighs it at up to 3.5 kg. While generally easily recognized, it could be confused with the smaller Lear's macaw. Habitat loss and the trapping of wild birds for the pet trade have taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild, so the species is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, and it is protected by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated macaw</span> Species of bird from Bolivia

The blue-throated macaw, also known as the Caninde macaw or Wagler's macaw, is a macaw endemic to a small area of north-central Bolivia, known as Los Llanos de Moxos. In 2014 this species was designated by law as a natural patrimony of Bolivia. Until 2010, it was hunted by native people to make feathered "Moxeño" headdresses for "machetero" ritual dances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-bellied macaw</span> Species of bird

The red-bellied macaw, also known as Guacamaya Manilata, is a medium-sized, mostly green parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called "mini-macaws". The belly has a large maroon patch which gives the species its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-collared macaw</span> Species of bird

The golden-collared macaw or yellow-collared macaw is a small mostly green Central South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It has a bright yellow patch on the back of its neck/upper shoulders that gives the species its name. In aviculture, it is one of a number of smaller macaws often called "mini-macaws".

<i>Ara</i> (bird) Neotropical genus of macaws

Ara is a Neotropical genus of macaws with eight extant species and at least two extinct species. The genus name was coined by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. It gives its name to and is part of the Arini, or tribe of Neotropical parrots. The genus name Ara is derived from the Tupi word ará, an onomatopoeia of the sound a macaw makes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed parrot</span> Species of parrot formerly native to the U.S.

The thick-billed parrot is a medium-sized parrot endemic to Mexico that formerly ranged into the southwestern United States. Its position in parrot phylogeny is the subject of ongoing discussion; it is sometimes referred to as thick-billed macaw or thick-billed conure. In Mexico, it is locally called guacamaya ("macaw") or cotorra serrana. Classified internationally as Endangered through IUCN, the thick-billed parrot's decline has been central to multiple controversies over wildlife management. In 2018, the estimated wild population in Mexico was 1,700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-headed macaw</span> Species of bird

The blue-headed macaw or Coulon's macaw is a macaw native to eastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia, and far western Brazil. It has a total length of about 41 cm (16 in), making it a member of the group of smaller macaws sometimes known as the mini-macaws, which includes any species of macaw with a total length of 50 cm (20 in) or less. As in all macaws, its tail is long and pointed and the bill is large and heavy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-headed parrot</span> Species of bird

The scaly-headed parrot is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is also called scaly-headed pionus, Maximilian pionus, Maximilian parrot, Maximilian's pionus, or Maximilian's parrot. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaze-winged parakeet</span> Species of bird

The blaze-winged parakeet, known as the blaze-winged conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and possibly Argentina.

<i>Primolius</i> Genus of birds

Primolius is a genus of macaws comprising three species, which are native to South America. They are mainly green parrots with complex colouring including blues, reds and yellows. They have long tails, a large curved beak, and bare facial skin typical of macaws in general. They are less than 50 cm long, much smaller than the macaws of the Ara genus. Macaws less than about 50 cm long, including the genus Primolius, are sometimes called "mini-macaws".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mini-macaw</span>

Mini-macaws are a loosely defined group of small-to-medium-sized macaw species within the tribe Arini. The term has no fixed taxonomic meaning and is principally used in aviculture to describe a small macaw belonging to one of a number of different genera, with overall length being the sole criterion for inclusion. Any macaw with an overall length of less than about 50 cm can be described as a "mini-macaw". Additionally, the "mini-" prefix may be added to the species name when describing the bird in question. Mini-macaws have predominantly green plumage with various accenting colours.

The Urugua-í Provincial Park is a Provincial park in the Misiones Province in the northeast of Argentina. It protects an area of Alto Paraná Atlantic forests in the upper basin of the Urugua-í River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid macaw</span> Crossbred bird

Hybrid macaws are the product of cross breeding of more than one species of macaw, resulting in a hybrid. They are often characterized and bred for their unique and distinct coloring, and for this reason, are highly sought after and valued in the exotic pet trade. Macaws are native to tropical North and South America. Hybridization of macaws occurs both in nature and captivity, being one of the few species that can produce viable, fertile offspring unlike many other hybrids produced from crossing different species resulting in sterile hybrids with factors that limit their success of survival. Hybrid macaws do not hold any scientific names, and are often labeled by the two macaw species they are produced from

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Primolius maracana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22685606A93081612. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22685606A93081612.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 Forshaw, Joseph Michael (1977) [1973]. Parrots of the world. Cooper, William T. (illustrator). Neptune, N.J.: T.F.H. ISBN   0876669593. OCLC   10506541.
  4. "Species factsheet: Primolius maracana". BirdLife International (2008). Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  5. Bodrati, A., K. Cockle, J. I. Areta, G. Capuzzi, and R. Farina. 2006. El maracana lomo rojo (Primolius maracana) en Argentina: de plaga a la extincion en 50 anos? El Hornero 21: 37-43
  6. "Illiger's or Blue-winged Mini-Macaws as Pets". Beauty of Birds. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  7. Kalhagen, Alyson. "Illiger's Macaw (Blue-Winged Macaw): Bird Species Profile". The Spruce Pets. Retrieved 13 March 2022.