Hybrid MacawParrots

The Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara ararauna) is also known as the Blue and Yellow Macaw and is a large parrot from South America.

Blue and Gold Macaws are found in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. There are also small populations in Panama and a small isolated breeding colony in Miami-Dade County in Florida. They once occupied Trinidad but were declared extinct there in the 1970s due to human activity. There have been attempts as repopulation in 1999 and 2003 with wild birds caught in Guyana. These macaws live in forest areas known as varzea as well as areas of non-flooded forest and woodlands.

The Blue and Gold can reach between 76-86cm and weigh from 900 to 1500 grams, making it among the largest of the family. The have bright blue wings and tail, dark blue feathers under the chin, golden breast and belly and a green forehead. Their beaks are black, and the skin around their face is featherless and white, lined with tiny black feathers. This facial skin can flush pink when excited or angry and wrinkles as they get older!