Ara ararauna

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names

English : Blue-and-gold macaw
French : Ara bleu et jaune

Classification

Class : Aves
Order : Psittaciformes
Family : Psittacidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification

Adults can reach a length of 86 cm for a weight of 1.3 kg. Large black bill, white skin around face with black feather stripes on upper cheeks. Plumage blue with darker wings. Green forehead. Golden yellow neck, breast and belly.

Range and habitat

The species occurs in South America, from extreme South Panama to Colombia, from south Venezuela and Guianas to Bolivia and Brazil. Lives in seasonally flooded forest, palm stands in savannas, to 1500 meters.

Conservation

IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species has greatly suffered from overtrapping for international trade. Clearing of forests and destruction of palm trees is also a threat.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation