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Military Macaw  

Also Known As: Green Macaw, Blue-green Macaw
 
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Military Macaw peering down from nesting log

Credit: © Robert | http://www.pbase.com/robert/exotic_birds

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Did You Know?
The Military Macaw is so similar to the Great Green Macaw that it is almost indistinguishable in the field.

Species Profile
Genus:
Ara

Species:
militaris

Size: Adult Weight:
70-75cm (27.3-29.3 in) 900g (31.5 oz)

Races including nominate:
three: A.m. militaris, A.m. mexicana, A.m. boliviana

Colourization Adult:
Large, mostly green macaw with bright red forehead patch, blue flight feathers and bright sky blue rump. Bare face with fine lines of black feathers. A.m. militaris: both adults green, olive wash on back and wing covers; blue suffusion on crown to neck, forehead and fine lines on lores red, throat olive/brown, upper tail dark brown/red and tipped dark blue. Bill grey/black, pink/white face which turns darker pink when excited. Fine lines of feathers on face green/black. Eye yellow. A.m. mexicana: both adults larger than militaris. A.m. boliviana: both adults as in militaris but throat red/brown, red bases to feathers of ear coverts; tip of tail and outer webs of primary feathers darker blue.

Colourization Juvenile: As in adult but tail shorter. Eye grey.

Call: Loud, harsh; also raucous and drawn out; shrieking. Calls audible at some distance.

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Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results

 

Content Sources:

PetCo Pet Care Sheet

Busch Gardens/Sea World Animal Adventure Camps

Macaw Landing Foundation http://www.macawlanding.org/projects.html

CITES http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1549&m=0

Internet Bird Collection http://ibc.lynxeds.com/

ML Media Collection Catalogue 8474, Military Macaw Ara militaris, Kincaid, Edgar, Jalisco, Mexico, Jun. 22 1957, Cornell Lab of Ornithology>

Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.

Parrots: Status Survey and Conservation Plan 2000-2004, Snyder, McGowan, Gilardi and Grajal, 2000.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.

Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.

Psittacine Aviculture, Schubot, Clubb and Clubb, 1992.

Avian Pediatric Seminar Proceedings, various authors, 1988.