Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)

La Tarde scarlet macaws in tree. 2018-03-09 06:34:58 Costa Rica NIKON D3100 ISO 800
Exposure 1/1000
Classification: Genus Ara; Family Parrots (Psittacidae)
General: The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large red, yellow, and blue Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical Central and South America. Its range extends from south-eastern Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) (at least formerly) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, it ranged north to 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, scarlet macaws are popular birds in aviculture as a result of their striking plumage. [more]

First documented observation: 2018-03-09 in Costa Rica. Most recent observation: 2018-03-11 in Costa Rica.