Facts about this animal
With a total length of 70 to 75 cm and a body weight ranging from 900 to 1130 g, the military macaw is clearly smaller than the very similar Buffon's macaw.
The plumage is largely green with a red forehead and blue in lower back and rump. The flight feathers are edged deep bluwe, the long and pointed tail is brownish-red tipped blue.
The bare facial skin is pinkish-white with narrow lines of blackish feathers. The bill is grey-black, the iris yellow, in young birds grey.
The breeding season appears to range form March to July. The birds nest in a tree hole, an old woodpecker nest, or on a cliff. The female lays 2 to 3 eggs and little is known about the chicks.
The military macaw feeds on seeds, figs and other fruits, nuts, berries and other vegetable mterial.
Did you know?
that there is another macaw species, which is very similar to the military macaw? It is the Buffon's macaw (Ara ambigua, which occurs from Nicaragua to Colombia. The two taxa are so similar that, in German, they are called "lesser" (militaris) and "greater" (ambigua) military macaw.
|Name (Scientific)||Ara militaris|
|Name (English)||Military macaw|
|Name (French)||Ara militaire|
|Name (Spanish)||Guacamayo militar|
|CITES Status||Appendix I|
|CMS Status||Not listed|
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|Range||South America: Discontinuous range in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela|
|Habitat||Dry forests, open woodland, gallery forests. Usually avoids tropical rain forest.|
|Wild population||No data available, but decreasing (Red List IUCN 2011)|
|Zoo population||475 reported to ISIS (2008)|
In the Zoo
How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 11D of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
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Why do zoos keep this animal
The military macaw is rated "Vulnerable" by IUCN and Birdlife International. Zoos therfore attempt to maintain a self-sustaining ex situ population. To this end, an International Studbook has been established under WAZA, and there are coordinated breeding programmes at the regional level.
Macaws are large, conspicuous and attractive birds, which are good ambassador species for the conservation of neotropical forests. They have an interesting anatomy and behaviour, and are thus also of educational interest.
Zoos may keep macaws also for animal welfare reasons as they may have to take care of confiscated birds, or former pet birds.