Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
Scarlet Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image Brazil

We came across a pair of Scarlet Macaw one morning while driving along a dirt road in the interior of Pará. Obligingly, they were on the sunny side of the road.

They could only be confused with Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloroptera) but Scarlet Macaws have yellow rather than green upper wing coverts and almost white bare patches on the face where Red-and-green Macaws have red-feathered lines on their bare face. These shots show some red on the face but the Red-and-green Macaw's markings are very distinct.

Scarlet Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image They were eating the fruit of a tree that looked to be of the fig family.

When you see these magnificent creatures like this it is impossible to conceive of a cage that would be large enough to hold them in captivity. But some people obviously find this no problem as illustrated by Aves International

Scarlet Macaw, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image There are illustrations in HBW, Volume 4, Pages 297, 300, 307, 332 and 419 and in Hilty & Brown, Plate 11

There is a page at the Belize Zoo website with photos and a video clip.

Scarlet Macaw, Cristalino, Mato Grosso, Brazil, April 2003 - click for larger image
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