Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao

Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California, taken in the coastal region of Guatemala, March 2020.

Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao. A rescue bird that became a long standing bueno amigo raised from youth. Photograph and identification courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao, is a member of the Psittacidae Family of New World and African Parrots. Large in stature. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope from Veracruz to Belize, except in northern portions of the Yucatán Peninsula, and within the Pacific Slope in the States of Oaxaca and Chiapas at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 feet). From a conservation perspective the Scarlet Macaw is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, destruction of their native habitat and capture and sale by the pet trade are of major concern to their survival. They are found in the canopy of tropical humid rainforests. They consume bark, flowers, fruits, and leaves from numerous different plant species.