Hyacinth Macaw

It is the largest Macaw in the world. Unlike other Macaws, it has feathers all over its head, except for a small ring around its eyes and its lower jaw. This area resembles skin and has a yellow tinge. Throughout the body, the feathers have a solid blue tint. The beak is black and curved and the paws are short and stout. There is no sexual dimorphism between males and females.

Like other Psittaciformes, the Hyacinth Macaw's beak is used as a third limb, which helps it to climb trees. It is a very social bird and is regularly seen in pairs or flocks. These birds can breed throughout the year, although the breeding success rate is low. They are most active during the morning and early afternoon. They fly in groups of 2 to 8 birds to feed and then return to their trees before dark, where they spend the night.

The Hyacinth Macaw is equipped with a large beak which it uses to break seed shells.
Its large hook-shaped beak is very efficient compared to other macaws. These macaws feed on 8 different species of palm fruit, which are rich in nutrients and fat. They are very dependent on palm fruits but also feed on small seeds, snails and small palm shoots. Most of their feeding takes place on the ground, although macaws have the ability to climb palm trees to pick the fruit.

The number of Hyacinth Macaws decreased dramatically in the 80’s, and it is estimated that around 10.000 individuals were taken from the wild, victims of illegal hunting, to be traded as pets, mainly in the Brazilian market. Currently, the population of this species in the wild is formed by only 6500 individuals, mostly resident in the Pantanal area, and this number is in continuous decline. In the Amazon, there has been a great loss of habitat for cattle ranching and hydroelectric power projects.