THE BLUE MACAW 



(Ara ceerulea or Ara ararauna) 



THE blue, or blue and yellow, macaw, the ararauna of the natives, is one 

 of the most familiar representatives of a group of tropical American parrots 

 characterised by their large size, long tails, and brilliantly coloured plumage, 

 as well as, it may be added, by their atrociously loud, screaming cries, which render 

 them among the most objectionable of all birds as pets. In the species forming the 

 subject of the plate blue and yellow are the predominant hues ; yellow, it is said, 

 being the equivalent among true parrots, in which white is unknown, to no colour 

 at all. The whole of the under surface and the sides of the neck are deep orange- 

 yellow, while the upper surface, inclusive of the tail-coverts, is dark sky-blue. 

 The range of this species, like that of its relative the green and blue macaw 

 {Ara severd), extends only from Panama southwards through the tropical forests 

 of the New World. Other kinds are, however, found farther north, the handsome 

 red and blue species {A. chloropterd) and the red and green macaw [A. militaris) 

 extending, for instance, from Mexico and central America to Bolivia. Four other 

 species, known on account of their deep blue colouring, as hyacinthine macaws, 

 constituting the genera Anodorhynchus and Cyanopsittacus, are, on the other 

 hand, solely Brazilian. 



Macaws are not only strong fliers, but likewise excellent climbers, and 

 in the latter mode of progression make use of their powerful beaks as well as 

 their feet, in captivity, at any rate, frequently hanging from a branch or perch 

 by the beak alone, which is specially adapted for obtaining a hold on smooth 

 branches by the sharp downward curvature of the extremity of its upper half. 

 The food of these birds includes fruits and seeds, especially hard nuts of various 

 kinds, which are cracked in the strong beak as if in a vice. When the fruits or 

 nuts are large, they are held to the beak in one foot. The thick, fleshy tongue 

 aids in extracting the inside of fruits from the rind, or the kernels of nuts from 

 their shells. 



All macaws are essentially birds of the great primeval forests of tropical 

 America, the blue and yellow species being especially abundant in those of 

 northern Brazil. During the hottest hours of the day these birds sit quietly 

 perched on the lower branches of thick-foliaged trees, the long tail hanging 

 straight down, and the neck being drawn in. After resting for several hours, they 

 issue forth in search of food ; and a flock of these magnificent birds on the wing 

 in the clear air of the tropics is a truly splendid sight, as they fly slowly to 

 and from their feeding-places. Having selected a likely looking tree, the whole 



