Green Winged Macaws
 Blue & Gold |
 Scarlet |
 Hyacinth |
 Catalina |
 Harlequin |
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About Green Winged (Ara Chloroptera)
The
Green Winged Macaw, a beautiful bird, makes a friendly and feisty pet
for those who can accommodate a noisy bird! They are the world's second
largest Macaw!
The Green Winged Macaw, or Red and Green Macaw, lives in social groups of six to 12 birds in forest land and often associates with Scarlet and Blue and Yellow Macaws. They prefer to stay shyly in the treetops and are quite cautious when on the ground. Red and Green Macaws build their nests high in trees or cliffs, breeding from November through March. They visit clay banks regularly, eating mineral soil to neutralize toxins found in the unripe fruit they subsist on. Green Winged Macaws also eat nuts, seeds, berries, greenery, and ripe fruit. Though they are less active than other Macaws, in captivity Green Winged Macaws need a large outdoor aviary of 24 by nine by six feet with an enclosed shelter, constructed of strong wire or chain link. These birds are avid chewers and need plenty of wood, as bored Green Winged Macaws will be destructive, chewing on their cage or anything else they can find! They enjoy bathing and should always have fresh water. Green Winged Macaws should be fed a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, greens, grains, nuts, seeds, and a mineral supplement along with peanut butter or other fatty, high-protein treats. They may be hand-reared on biscuit, porridge, and white bread. Green Winged Macaws live nicely with other birds and form strong bonds with their keepers. They may become aggressive during breeding season, however, when they should be treated cautiously.
Red and Green Macaws grow to about 26 to 37 inches in length and have a 41 to 49 inch wingspan! They have red plumage with blue back, rump, and tail converts. The bare facial patch is crossed with red feather lines. Green Winged Macaws have green shoulders and inner secondary and median wing coverts; the rest of the wings are blue. Green Winged Macaws have blue edged red tail feathers, and males may have green edged feathers at the backs of their heads. The bill is horn colored and prominent with black edges and a black lower mandible, and the feet are dark gray.
Native to tropical forests at 1500 and occasionally 4700 feet, the Red and Green Macaw is also called the Maroon Macaw, the Greenwing Macaw, and the Red and Blue Macaw. It is found in the Guyanas, Panama, Bolivia, Suriname, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Argentina. Though it is not listed as threatened, the Greenwing Macaw's habitat is being destroyed and it has disappeared in much of Panama due to trapping for trade and hunting for food.
