Scarlet Macaw

The scarlet macaw is a large, brilliantly colored parrot native to humid lowland forests from Mexico through Central America to the Amazon basin of South America, easily recognized by its vivid red plumage set off by blue and yellow on the wings and a bare white face. It has a powerful hooked bill strong enough to crack open hard nuts and seeds, its primary diet along with fruit and clay from exposed riverbanks, which is thought to help neutralize toxins in some of the foods it eats. Scarlet macaws form lifelong pair bonds, nest in tree cavities, and can live for many decades, and their loud, harsh calls carry far through the forest canopy. Habitat loss and capture for the pet trade have reduced populations across much of its range, and the species has been extirpated from parts of its historic distribution, though it remains locally common in protected areas.