The blue macaw, as the name suggests, has cobalt blue feathers, in contrast to the black of the wings and tail.

And to complete the beauty of the blue macaw, around the eyes, on the eyelids and on the skin around the jaw, a yellowish coloration can be seen.

Its beak is large, strong, curved and black. The tongue is very fleshy, black and with yellow lines on the sides.

In addition to being social birds, they live in pairs or flocks, and it is rare to see them alone.

The flocks are composed, on average, of 10 to 30 individuals.

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Groups are mainly seen at feeding areas and where they sleep, in so-called dormitories.

They are considered sedentary birds, as they only fly short distances for feeding or reproduction.

The habitat of the Hyacinth Macaw

The hyacinth macaw is found in various parts of Brazil and also in Bolivia and Paraguay.

In our country, we find it in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Amazonas, Pará, Maranhão, Bahia, Piauí, Tocantins and Goiás.

This species lives in forested areas and even in environments with savanna formations.

The diet of the blue macaw

The hyacinth macaw's diet is based on palm seeds, making it a very specific diet.

They can only feed on this seed, due to their strong beak, which allows them to break the seeds easily.

The palm trees that serve as food for the blue macaw include: babassu, buriti and licuri.

The blue macaw feeds on seeds that fall to the ground.

The reproduction of the blue macaw

Birds begin their reproductive phase around 7 to 9 years.

They form couples during this period and begin to carry out tasks together, such as taking care of the nest and the chicks.

They are faithful, monogamous and live together even after the end of the reproductive season.

The female lays between 1 and 3 eggs in nests built in trees, crevices or openings in rocky walls.

The male is responsible for bringing food, while the female incubates the eggs in the nest.

The incubation of the eggs lasts around a month.

The chicks remain in the nest for about three and a half months, as they are very small and need protection.

Because they are fragile, the chicks of this bird often fail to survive.

They leave the nest at three months, but they depend on their parents for food.

The baby hyacinth macaw leaves to find a flock, at 12 or 18 months.

Curiosities about the blue macaw

• The hyacinth macaw can reach up to one meter in length, from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail.

• It is the largest bird of its kind in the world in the Psittacidae family.

• Hyacinth macaw chicks are born measuring on average 82.7 mm and 31.6 g.

• Feeding is always done in groups, with one individual in this group being alert to any sign of danger, and when it sees something it emits a warning cry.

• Females lay 1 to 3 eggs, however, these are laid on different days.
• They use the same nest more than once for reproduction. They just renovate it.

The blue macaw and extinction

Currently, the bird is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as fragile or vulnerable.

Due to the fact that this species has seen a large reduction in its population due to factors such as hunting and the capture of these animals for illegal trade.

The illegal sale of hyacinth macaws has decreased significantly in our country when compared to the 1980s, however it still occurs.

In addition, we must not forget that the loss of forests for the development of agriculture and the growth of cities contributes to the decline of the species.

The Blue Macaw Project

In Brazil, we have the Blue Macaw Project, created in 1990.

Its main objectives are:

• Maintain free-living populations of blue macaws in the medium and long term, and promote the conservation of biodiversity and the Pantanal.

• This project has several studies regarding this species and other birds that live in the same environment as the blue macaw, in the Pantanal.

• With the activities developed by the project institute and the important results presented, the population of blue macaws increased and expanded beyond the Pantanal region.

• Biologist Neiva Guedes was the one who started the project, trains teams and participates in other studies in regions outside the Pantanal and Brazil.

• As a result of much work over the years, the species' situation has improved.

• In December 2014, it was removed from the list of the Brazilian Fauna Red Book as being at risk of extinction and became a species that requires care.

Now the Pantanal and many parts of our country are adorned by these beautiful birds.