Many of us would pick the scarlet macaw as one of the most beautiful birds in the world. It is also among the most intelligent, says Janice Boyd. But such assets have proved the species' undoing - it has long been in demand as a pet and zoo attraction.
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Capture of young macaws for the ever-burgeoning pet trade, and the felling of forests for timber and to make way for people and crops, have devastated wild populations.
Where these gaudy birds once dripped off fruiting trees like huge red, blue and yellow flowers, now only an occasional ear-splitting' Rrrraaak!' call is heard.
However, there is hope for the scarlet macaw. Many people have already fallen for this charismatic species, and are working tirelessly to protect it and its rainforest home.
Where do scarlet macaws live?
Scarlet macaws are found from southern and eastern Mexico south to Peru and Paraguay, but not found west of the Andes. Their favoured habitat is humid lowland rainforest, particularly along rivers; also open woodland.
How big are scarlet macaws?
Scared macaws are between 81-96cm long (half of which is tail) and have a wingspan of about 110-120cm They weigh about 1kg
What do scarlet macaws look like?
There are many reasons why this macaw is so special. It is a large parrot - almost a metre long, with about half of that being its long, red, pointed tail. Its size and has a fabulous colouration of red, yellow and blue – making it the tourist's friend.
The rainforest can be notoriously reluctant to 'give up its wildlife, much of which is secretive, so a bright and noisy bird always charms visitors.
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An experienced macaw watcher might spot subtle differences in the showy plumage of macaw populations in Central America and those further south, and recent genetic studies have divided the bird into two subspecies.
The scarlet macaws found in northern Central America, Ara macao cyanoptera, are orange-red with yellow and blue wing feathers and bare white skin patches on their faces. Their South American cousins, A. m. macao, are also red, but have yellow, green and blue on their wings and are generally smaller in size. But from a distance, no one would blame you for confusing the two.
Male and female scarlet macaws are also difficult to tell apart, though there are subtle differences that experts can use to guess a bird's gender, especially if it is seen in a pair. But only the macaw knows for sure because, like most birds, it sees the world very differently to us.
It doesn't just see in red, green and blue as we do. Its vision is tetrachromatic, seeing in four colours: red, green, blue and ultraviolet.
For a scarlet macaw, colourful plumage is an important part of its sexual allure. The brighter the feathers, the healthier the bird and the more attractive it is as a potential mate.
Do scarlet macaws mate for life?
Like all macaws, the species forms long-term, stable pair bonds. Birds start to partner up at about four years in captivity but, in the wild, they probably mature a few years later. However, it often takes a pair several years know one before the male and female get to know one another well enough to create a productive breeding partnership.
Successful macaw pairs usually form long-lasting bonds, but it is not clear if they mate for life, as many authors say. For one thing, their forest home is perilous. Even though macaws typically feed in groups high in the forest canopy, with many eyes on the lookout for danger, and circle around warily before landing, they do have several enemies.
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Large raptors such as black-and-white hawk-eagles and harpy eagles are known to snatch birds from the treetops. Meanwhile, false vampire bats may grab macaws at night while they are roosting, and capuchin monkeys catch the occasional unwary bird. When such setbacks arise, it is likely that the surviving macaw simply finds another mate.
Do scarlet macaws ever 'divorce'?
In some cases, a breeding pair may decide they do not want to stay together and the birds split up to look for new partners.
'Divorce occurs most frequently among younger pairs that have been unsuccessful in raising offspring even after years of trying. It would seem that, just like humans, some macaws make a better match than others.
How often do scarlet macaws breed?
For much of the year scarlet macaws tend to congregate in fairly large, mixed-age flocks, but such sociability goes out of the wind in the breeding season, when mature adult pairs become territorial
Suitable tree-hole nest sites are at a premium, so a good one is worth protecting. If other macaws approach the nest, its owners 'see red' and aggressively chase away the intruders.
All being well, the female will soon be incubating a brood of up to four white eggs. She takes care of most of the incubating duties, while the male brings her food. After about 28 days, the eggs hatch and, though both parents feed the chicks, only one or two are likely to survive.
Why do only a few chicks make to adulthood
Nestlings face myriad dangers: falcons, snakes and mammalian predators sometimes steal them, Africanised honeybees may take over the nest, drive off the parents and kill the chicks, and various types of mites can infest them.
If a chick survives to fledge at about three months old, it has won only half of the battle.
At first it cannot fly well or far, so eagles are a serious threat. If it lives through this fraught period, it follows its parents around until the next breeding season, learning what to eat, where to find water and which creatures to fear, building a mental map of the forest.
Scarlet macaws - indeed, all parrots - are highly intelligent and lead a complex social life that requires a great deal of learning to supplement what is known instinctively.
Parents are a growing bird's first role models, but then it has to pick up crucial skills from other macas in the neighbourhood. It's a sort of adolescence a macaw misses at its peril.
In the early days of captive-breeding projects for rare macaw species, this was a major problem.
When conservationists first tried rearing macaws to boost wild populations, the chicks would be taken away from their parents as soon as they had hatched, and raised without interaction with other macaws. Many of these birds later had difficulty forming breeding pairs in the wild, because they had not learned the basics from watching the adults. How very human.
Why are scarlet macaws so noisy?
Like many people I know, scarlet macaws are noisy and messy. (These are, incidentally, two very good reasons not to keep them as pets.)
The birds are fond of uttering incredibly loud, throaty squawks, squeaks and screams designed to carry several kilometres. In the confusing world of the rainforest, it pays to have a loud voice to keep up with other members of macaw society.
Keeping in touch is a good way to discover the best food sources.
What do scarlet macaws eat?
Macaws are seed- and fruit-eaters although their diet is also supplemented with supplemented with nectar and flowers. The rainforest's diverse trees fruit at different times, so flocks stay mobile to make the most of every reconnaissance flight. Once a fruiting tea is located, the birds'impressive, powerfully hooked bills are employed to crack open seeds and strip fruit pulp.
How long do scarlet macaws live?
They probably live up to 30 years in the wild.
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