Lear's Macaw

Indigo macaw

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Psittaciformes

Family

Psittacidae

Genus

Anodorhynchus

SPECIES

Anodorhynchus leari

Population size

1,123

Life Span

30-60 yrs

TOP SPEED

56 km/h

WEIGHT

940-950 g

LENGTH

70-75 cm

The Lear's macaw is a large, beautiful blue parrot that has a long tail. Napoleon's nephew, Lucien Bonaparte, first described them in 1858, from an illustration by Edward Lear, the well-known British nonsense poet. However, this macaw stayed elusive in the wild, and was only accepted in 1978 as a distinct species when finally naturalist Helmut Sick located the wild population. Its head, neck and underparts are greenish-blue, while the rest of its body is violet/indigo. It has bare skin around its eyes, and the base of its lower beak is pale yellow.

Diurnal

Granivore

Frugivore

Terrestrial

Arboreal

Monogamy

Social

Flocking

Distribution

Lear’s macaws inhabit only a small region in Bahia, northeastern Brazilian state. The two known colonies occur in Serra Branca and Toca Velha, south of the Raso da Catarina plateau. They inhabit 'caatinga', which are arid thorn forests. Breeding takes place in outcrops and sandstone cliffs.

Geography

Continents

South America

Countries

Brazil

Biome

Tropical savanna

Desert and Xeric Shrublands

Tropical dry forest

Climate zones

Tropical

Arid

Habits and Lifestyle

Lear's macaws are social, diurnal, territorial and noisy birds. Lear’s macaws usually form groups of around 8 to 30 birds, and, to a lesser extent there are pairs or smaller groups of families. They have conspicuous loud calls and are usually observed flying or perched on the outermost limbs of trees or palms. Typically up to 4 individuals roost in one crevice or hollow of 30 - 60 m (100 - 200 ft) in high sandstone canyons. In the daytime these birds rest up in shady trees or licuri palms, where they can also feed on the fruits of the palm. They can be observed preening each other, croaking now and again. Lear's macaws are shy birds, and, when alarmed, fly upwards, calling loudly. Then they may circle briefly before they land again on a tree (when they consider it safe), or they will fly off.

Group name

flock, company, pandemonium

Lifestyle

Terrestrial, Arboreal

Diet and Nutrition

Lear’s macaws eat mostly the hard nuts from the licuri palm, and also the fruit and seeds of numerous other bushes and trees, as well as maize, agave flowers, a range of ripe and unripe fruits, vegetable matter and berries. They also forage on any available crops.

Diet Granivore, Frugivore

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR

Monogamy

REPRODUCTION SEASON

February-April

INCUBATION PERIOD

26-28 days

INDEPENDENT AGE

3 months

FEMALE NAME

hen

MALE NAME

cock

BABY NAME

chick

BABY CARRYING

1-2 eggs

Lear’s macaws are monogamous, pairs staying together for life. Breeding takes place between February and April. Pairs will build their nests on the sandstone cliff faces. The female lays 1 - 2 eggs and incubates them for around 26-28 days. The nesting female leaves the nest just for short periods to eat, as her young are dependent on her for feeding and warmth. Once the young have grown protective feathers, the mother will stay away from the nest for longer periods. At night, both parents roost in the nesting area. Chicks that survive to about 3 months, when they fledge, will stay with their parents for period of time after leaving their nest. They reach sexual maturity at around 2 to 4 years of age.

POPULATION STATUS

Endangered (EN)

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Population

Population threats

The major threat to Lear’s macaws is the illegal wildlife trade, and they are also vulnerable to the availability of their main source of food, the licuri palm, which has recently been greatly reduced in numbers as a result of livestock-grazing. If a major fire wiped out the whole palm population, this parrot’s survival would be fatally threatened.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Lear’s macaws is 1,123 birds, including 250-999 mature individuals. Lear’s macaws are classified as endangered (EN) on the list of threatened species.

Ecological niche

Lear’s macaws have an important role to play in their ecosystem through dispersal of seeds and nuts within their territory.

Fun Facts for Kids

At the start of each day, a group of two or three males will "scout out" potential roosting or feeding sites. They will be the first to go back to the roosting area at sunset. The "scouts" will quietly perch for about ten minutes in the tallest tree, and, once satisfied of no danger, they call loudly to the other birds, who then follow them to the site. If there is danger, the advance party will sound out with their loud signature calls, warning the group.
Lear's macaws' contact calls sound like gurgling and their alarm or sentinel calls are a harsh croaking.
The Lear's macaw takes its name from Edward Lear, a famous artist-poet of the mid-1800s who painted macaws and created nonsense rhymes.
Macaws are inquisitive and playful and are good at mimicking human vocalizations.
Each Lear’s macaw eats up to 350 nuts each day, and estimates are that one macaw needs around 450 fruit-bearing palms to feed it.
Macaws crack open the hard shells of nuts with their large, strong beaks to get to the white meat inside. They usually remove a cluster of about 10-20 nuts and eat their way through them. They may take a cluster to a tree nearby and eat the nuts there.

Lear's Macaw

Photos with Lear's Macaw

Distribution

Geography

Biome

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

Population

Population threats

Population number

Ecological niche

Fun Facts for Kids

References

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

Lear's Macaw

Photos with Lear's Macaw

Distribution

Geography

Biome

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

Population

Population threats

Population number

Ecological niche

Fun Facts for Kids

References

Related Animals

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About