Macaw Facts (Funny, Interesting, and Mind-Blowing )

Last Updated on March 4, 2023 by Ali Shahid

The macaw is one of the world’s most visually appealing and funny parrots. Macaws originate from South America and are adored throughout the world. This is why people search a lot for macaw facts.

They want to provide a better life for their feathered friends. It is the most easily recognized member of the parrot family (Psittacidae). For hundreds of years, people have kept these colorful, entertaining birds as pets.

The macaw’s face usually has bare patches of skin of varying sizes and colors. Each bird has a different personality, likes, and dislikes. Although macaws can be challenging parrots some family members will find them, loyal companions.

Here are a few fun, interesting, and mind-blowing facts about the colorful, playful members of the parrot family.

Interesting Macaw Facts

1. Blue Plumage yet of Significant Importance

Macaws have a distinct appearance reminiscent of a human fingerprint. These brightly colored birds can be seen in red, turquoise, yellow, and bright indigo colors.

A fascinating aspect of these birds is that their coloration varies from one region to another, blending well with the colorful foliage and plants of the Amazon.

2. Macaws are pretty loud

A macaw is most likely to be heard before it is seen. The birds congregate in flocks of 30 to 100 individuals and are highly intelligent and gregarious.

It is common to hear squawks and other distinctive sounds echoing throughout the jungle early in the morning. There’s more to all this noise than just entertainment. This is done to identify partners and mark territory.

3. Made for Life

When macaws reach breeding age, they pick a mate with whom they will live the rest of their lives. Furthermore, pairs spend a lot of time together not only breeding but also sharing food and grooming their young.

Throughout the forest canopy, they are also seen flying closely together (almost touching).

4. Giants of the Parrot World

Worldwide, there are approximately 376 species of parrots, with macaws being the largest. A hyacinth macaw, the largest species in the Pantanal, can reach lengths of 3.5 feet and have wingspans of 5 feet.

The largest macaws can weigh up to 4 pounds and have extremely light bones to help them fly.

5. One of The Longest lifespan

The average life expectancy of some macaw species, such as blue and gold macaws, is 60 years, and some live as long as 80 years. Consider adopting a macaw only if you can devote enough time to its care.

Many of these birds will outlive their owners, so treat them like any other dependent. Or adopt an older macaw to give it a lifetime home!

6. A strange relationship with Poison

Besides fruits, their diet includes leaves, flowers, nuts, and seeds. They use their beaks to crack open nut shells, even ones as tough as coconuts. Along river banks in the Amazon, macaws congregate at clay licks to feed on the damp soil.

They do this for a variety of reasons. They might be neutralizing toxins in their fruit and seed-filled diet and helping digestion. Other observers have pointed out that clay licks provide valuable minerals, such as sodium, which is difficult to obtain in the rainforest.

Even though macaws seem to be immune to poisons found in many of their favorite foods, cherries, avocados, and chocolate hurt them!

7. Rainforest home

Although Macaws can be found in woodlands and savannahs, they prefer dense forests such as Mexico’s lush rainforests or Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.

8. Can mimic human Speech

Even though macaws cannot speak, they can mimic human speech. A captive animal can be trained to mimic specific sounds and accents until they have perfected them. What is the reason behind macaws mimicking people?

Generally, they are intelligent, social creatures with a well-developed vocal learning center in the brain.

A wild macaw is capable of creating and reacting to very specific sounds made by other members of its flock and family. Parents will give each chick its name and all members will be able to reproduce it. 

9. Macaws are all Threatened, Critically Endangered, or Extinct

There are 22 species of macaws known to science. Of these Five are extinct (including the glaucus macaw and Spix’s macaw) Among these three, the hyacinth macaw, the red-fronted macaw, and the blue-throated macaw are critically endangered.

Four of them are listed as endangered The rest are considered to be in danger. Illegal trapping for the bird trade is largely responsible for this dire situation. Worldwide, birds are popular pets because they are charismatic and entertaining.

Deforestation and habitat destruction in the Amazon have decimated Hyacinth macaw populations and threatened many other Amazonian bird species.

Fun Facts of Macaw

• A macaw has an IQ equal to a toddler, making it one of the world’s smartest birds. If taught, macaws can perform wonderful tricks.
• As an omnivore, macaws eat ripe and unripe fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, leaves, stems, and even insect and snail bodies for protein.
• Red-shouldered macaws (Diopsittaca Nobilis) are the smallest and lightest birds, measuring 30 cm (11.8 inches) and weighing 129 to 169 grams (4.5 to 5.9 ounces).
• Their sleep pattern is diurnal, which means that they sleep during the day. Every single morning, it will awaken you with the first rays of sunlight. \

• A macaw’s zygodactyl toes allow it to grasp fruits while hanging onto branches. The way they walk on flat surfaces is pretty goofy.

• A macaw can fly up to 15 miles every day just looking for food. Observations have shown that Macaws do a lot of scouting in the wild. They fly around looking for food in the morning.

• Baby macaw has no feathers and closed eyes when it is born.

• A scarlet macaw is Honduras’ national bird
• While macaws are hunted and entrapped, they are revered as well as appearing on Brazilian banknotes.
• As they drop seeds, they encourage the growth of forests.
• They are allergic to the fumes and fresheners that are released from non-stick cookware.
• The macaw’s main predators include larger birds of prey, snakes, and monkeys