Great green macaw | Chester Zoo animals

About

Considered to be one of the largest parrots in the wild, these colourful birds are bright green with red foreheads and blue feathers on their lower back and tail.

Found in groups, these macaws are known to be extremely noisy, with their distinctive loud screeches that can be heard from quite a distance. When waking up from sleep, macaws call to their partners with a loud screech to let them know their whereabouts.

After gathering in numbers, they fly together. While flying, they keep close to each other, almost touching their wings as they soar through the air.

Great green macaw facts

SPECIES

I am a bird

They are mainly green in color and have a reddish forehead and pale blue lower back, rump, and upper tail feathers.

FOUND IN

Central and South America

These birds have a large distribution, ranging from Honduras to western Ecuador.

HABITAT

Dry tropical forests

Although some of them prefer humid woodlands.

DIET

Herbivore

They consume quite a lot of grain, as well as fruits, flowers, bulbs, roots, and bark.

BEHAVIOUR

Noisy and social

These birds are a noisy bunch! They are usually seen in pairs or small groups, with as many as eight individuals.

AVERAGE SIZE

85 - 90cm long

LIFE SPAN

50 to 60 years

Although with human care, they can live up to 70 years.

ZOO LOCATION

Tropical Realm

You'll find the great green macaw at the exit to Tropical Realm.

IUCN red list statusCritically Endangered

Threats

Unfortunately, great green macaws are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and their population size is thought to be fewer than 2,500 mature individuals.

The main threat to the survival of these parrots has been habitat loss. It is estimated that between 1900 and 2000, 90% of the original habitat was lost.

Human intervention

Hunting or collection

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