Blue-throated macaw Ara glaucogularis
One of the rarest parrot species in the world.
The blue-throated macaw is found exclusively in the northern part of Central Bolivia. It lives mainly on the savannah, nesting at night in the abundant palm trees in this region.
The blue-throated macaw in a nutshell
- eats
- palm and other types of nuts, seeds, leaf buds and fruits
- inhabits
- the northern part of Central Bolivia
- excels at
- tree climbing
Dead palm tree
Blue-throated macaws live in small patches of forest surrounded by open grassland. They make their nests in these ‘forest islands’, and have a preference for dead palm trees that have been partially hollowed out by large insect larvae, creating space for a nest. Since there are few suitable nesting trees, blue-throated macaws must outsmart other birds such as green-winged macaws to secure a spot.
Critically endangered
The blue-throated macaw is listed as critically endangered, with the main reason for their decline being the trade in exotic pets. Thankfully, trapping these birds has been prohibited since 1986. Prior to this, the rarer the species became, the more they were captured, leading to a sharp decline in their numbers in the wild.
Colourful iris
The iris of the blue-throated macaw changes colour often. At birth it starts out black, but soon becomes brown, then grey and later white. In adult birds, it is yellow, and old parrots have a golden iris.
Spot the difference
The blue-throated macaw is often confused with the blue-and-yellow macaw due to their similar blue and yellow colouring. The most striking difference between these macaws is in the head: the feathers around the eyes, throat and beak of the blue-and-yellow macaw are black and white, while those of the blue-throated macaw are blue.
The blue-throated macaw has been adopted by Aeroprint.