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The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna), also known as the Blue-and-Gold Macaw, is a member of the group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. These birds can reach 76 to 86 cm (30 to 34 in) long and weigh 2.7kg to 3.9kg(2.9 to 8.5 pounds). They are vivid in appearance with blue wings and tail, dark blue chin, golden under parts, and a green forehead. Beaks are black, and very strong for crushing nuts. The naked face is white, turning pink in excited birds, and lined with small black feathers.
It breeds in forest (especially varzea, but also in open sections of Terra Firme) and woodland of tropical South America from Trinidad and Venezuela south to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It extends slightly into Central America, where it is restricted to Panama. It is an endangered species in Trinidad, and is on the verge of being extirpated from Paraguay, but still remains widespread and fairly common in a large part of mainland South America.