The Blue-and-gold Macaw, is a member of the group of prominent tropical parrots known as macaws. It breeds in the forest and timberlands of tropical South America from Trinidad and Venezuela south to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It extends into Central America, where it is limited to Panama. It is an endangered species in Trinidad, has probably been eradicated from western Ecuador, and is on the verge of being eradicated from Paraguay, but still remains widespread and fairly common in a large part of mainland South America. It is therefore listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International as a threatened species. It can reach 30-33.6 inches long and weighs 2-3 lbs, making it one of the largest parrots in the world. It is brilliant in appearance with blue wings and tail, black chin, golden underparts and a green forehead. Its beak is jet black and very strong for crushing nuts. The naked face is white, turning pink in excited birds, and lined with small black feathers. The Blue-and-gold Macaw mostly mates for life. It nests at the top of tree trunks and the female usually lays two eggs. The young are born without feathers; but, at ten weeks, they are covered with feathers and the wings and tail have achieved their full length. Baby macaws have black eyes, but the color changes over time from black to gray to white to yellow as an adult bird. At six months, it is hard to distinguish the young from the parents. The Blue-and-gold Macaw uses its mighty beak for cracking nutshells, and also for climbing up and dangling from trees. They necessitate a wide-ranging diet, a seed only diet will lead to health problems such as vitamin deficiency. An example of a good diet would be a prime pelleted mix for Macaws, in concurrence with a mix featuring seed, nuts, and dried fruits, with fresh vegetables and fruits fed regularly; furthermore, it is quite common to partake with their human owners of safe foods like pasta, bread, etc. There are some foods which are deadly to birds and parrots as a group. Cherry and most other Rosaceae pits and seed, avocados, chocolate, and caffeine are among the foods harmful to parrots. Chocolate and caffeine are not metabolized by birds the same way they are in humans, Rosaceae seed contain cyanogenic glycosides and avocados contain persin which are both poisonous compounds to birds. Blue-and-gold Macaws are popular as pets partly because of their striking appearance and ability as a talking bird; however, the price of a single bird may be in excess of (USD) $900-$2,000 in North America and their large size makes adjustment problematic. The blue and gold Macaw (Ara ararauna)is from the Class: Aves, Order: Psittaciformes, Family: Psittacidae, Genus: Ara, Species: ararauna.
