Greenwing Macaws

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Ara chloroptera

Green-winged Macaw

Description: general plumage red; bare lores and cheeks whitish and crossed with red feather-lines; male occasionally with greenish edging to feathers on back of head; median wing-coverts, inner secondaries and shoulder feathers green; greater wing-coverts and outer secondaries blue; outer webs of primaries dark blue; lower back, rump, upper and under tail-coverts blue; primary coverts blue; tail upperside dark-red with blue tips; tail and wing undersides dark-red; powerful bill horn-coloured with blackish sides; lower mandible blackish; iris pale-yellowish; feet dark grey.


Immatures with shorter tail; lower mandible paler; iris brown.


Length: 90 cm (35.5 ins)


Distribution: eastern Panama and northwest Colombia; east of Andes from eastern Colombia and Venezuela south across Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana to Brazilian provinces of Parana and Mato Grosso, northern and eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentinian province of Formosa.


Habitat: forest of tropical zone to 450 m (1,500 ft); occasionally 1,400 m (4,700 ft).


Status: Common in areas with primary forest, however mostly fewer than Blue and Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) or Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao); already disappeared from extensive parts of distribution area; main causes habitat destruction, trapping for trade and hunting.


Habits: usually observed in pairs or small family groups; less often in small flocks of 6 to 12 birds; larger gatherings occur on feeding trees and in particular clay banks; sometimes more than 100 birds seen there; pairs can be easily detected within group; often observed with Blue and Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) and Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) on feeding trees and clay banks; very cautious there; waits until raptors absent; mostly only heard within forest; very difficult to detect in foliage; perches very quietly; presence marked only by falling food debris; when alarmed flies off screeching loudly; fairly shy; flight swift and direct; characterised by regular, powerful wing-beats; call harsh screech or croaking.


Natural diet: ripe and unripe fruits, nuts, seeds, berries and vegetable matter foraged in trees; can crack extremely hard nuts with powerful bill; flies virtually every day in the mid-morning and afternoon hours to Ccollpas (clay banks) to feed on mineral soil; this neutralises toxic content of unripe fruits.

Accommodation: ideally outside flight 8 x 3 x 2 m (24 x 9 x 6 ft) with adjoining shelter 3 x 2 x 2 m (9 x 6 x 6 ft); metal construction with strong mesh necessary; minimum temperature 10°C (50°F). An indoor cage shoud be provided no less that 5' Wide, 4' Deep and 6' High.


Diet: fruit and vegetables (pear, apple (NOT SEEDS OR CORE), plums, banana, cucumber, half-ripe maize, carrot, rose-hip, rowna berries); of walnuts, pine-nuts, peanuts and brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios; seed mix of sunflower, safflower, hemp, wheat, oats, canary grass seed and various millets; greenfood (chickweed, dandelion etc.); regular vitamin supplements; enjoys porridge and biscuit.

You may also feed frozen vegetables (thawed out of course), and I personally use Browns Tropical Carnival Macaw Food and Zupreem Pellets. All macaws thrive on a diet consisting of an abundance of large and small nuts.