The Majestic Bird

The Hyacinth macaw is the biggest flying parrot in the world, with wings that stretch almost four feet wide. It has bright blue feathers, yellow skin around its eyes, and a bright yellow spot at the bottom of its big, black beak. Hyacinth macaws mate for life, and are very social birds. They like to be close to their mate, talking or touching. They build their nests in big, old trees, like the 40-year-old Taruma tree. They need a tree that big because they are so large themselves. Their strong beaks can easily crack nuts and seeds, but they often drop seeds that aren't broken onto the ground. Scientists have learned that this messy eating actually helps spread the seeds of 18 different kinds of plants. Farms, ranches, and animals eating grass are destroying the macaws' homes and food, making it hard for them to survive. People are working hard to help the macaws, but recent fires have hurt their homes even more. Macaws, the colorful birds of the Amazon. Hi. Everyone. Did you know macaws are the biggest birds in the parrot family? And the biggest of them all is the hyacinth macaw. This beautiful blue bird can be over three feet long, with wings stretching almost five feet wide. Amazing. Macaws live in the Pantanal wetlands and the Amazon basin in Brazil. Besides their size, macaws are also a burst of color. Different kinds of macaws have mixes of blue, gold, green, and red, among many other colors. They also have unique patches on their faces, with patterns as special as human fingerprints. If you're walking in the Amazon rainforest and hear a lot of squawking, it's probably a group of macaws. They are very noisy birds that fill the treetops with their calls, but they do it for good reasons. To recognize each other, talk to their flock, and mark their territory. Like swans, wolves, and French angelfish, macaws usually mate for life. They are real romantics. They share food, clean each other, and enjoy flying together. You often see them flying side by side over the trees and rivers of the jungle, so close they almost touch. Macaws eat all sorts of things. Fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves, flowers, stems, and even insects. In the Amazon basin, some macaws also eat clay from the cliffs along the riverbanks. It's thought that the clay helps them get rid of poisons found in some of the food they eat. Clever. Some clay cliffs, like the ones in Tambopata, Peru, attract hundreds of macaws every day. A real sight for lucky bird watchers. For birds, macaws are smart and very social creatures. They often gather in groups of 10 to 30 birds. They can use their strong toes to hold and look at things, and even to open tough nuts. And despite all the squawking, macaws are famous for their ability to talk. They can copy human speech amazingly well. And some studies have shown they use words in the right way, and communicate with creative expressions. A study by Michael Dalton with his blue-and-gold macaw named Ariel showed that Ariel had spoken more than 6,000 different expressions, including sentences with up to 15 syllables and sequences of two to four themed sentences. Amazing. In their natural home in the Amazon rainforest, macaws can live up to 60 years, making them one of the longest-living birds on Earth. In captivity, with the right care, they can live even longer. A blue-and-gold macaw named Charlie lived to the amazing age of 112. Even though they can live a long time, the future of the many macaw species is uncertain. Six known species are already extinct, and others are at different levels of risk, from vulnerable to critically endangered. Humans, as you might expect, are to blame. Cutting down trees in the Amazon rainforest and the loss of their homes is one of the biggest threats. The illegal wildlife trade is another. Poachers capture the birds to sell them in the profitable pet market, even though there are many rules against selling macaws. Sometimes, tourists in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador are approached by people selling macaws and other wild birds in markets. You should never buy them, not even if you plan to set them free, because this only encourages the illegal trade. Instead, you should quietly tell the local authorities about what the seller is doing. Let's take care of these amazing birds and protect their home in the Amazon. Check out my other videos for more details about the macaws. Like, share, subscribe.