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Macaw's
weight
2-2.5 lbs
Macaws Eat
Fruits, nuts, and
seeds
#
of species of parrots in the world
330
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Lesson
Plans
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Squawking
Macaws
Today we were at the
Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. We figured that we should try to
have a few personal encounters with some of the animals that
we might find in Costa Rica.
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the Bird House, we came across a pair of Scarlet Macaws.
I have never had the chance to be so close to such magnificent
birds. They were literally only a few feet away. Obviously,
the most striking feature of macaws is their bright feathers.
But, once you start observing macaws, their beaks become
the center of attention (for me at least). The beaks are
hook shaped. The advantage to having a hook-shaped beak
is that it gives the bird great leverage in opening fruits
and nuts (a macaw's favorite food)! |
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It is said
that you never see a solitary macaw. They are always
found in pairs. When a macaw reaches maturity, it finds
a mate and stays with that mate for the rest of their
lives. But, macaws in the wild usually travel in groups
of 4 or more, often with as many as 30 individuals.
Macaws
are also very noisy birds. They squawk and screech for
a variety of reasons. Scientists believe that the noise
is usually made to alert other birds of its presence.
Macaws are
the largest members of the parrot family. There are
over 300 species of parrot found throughout the world,
and all of them are found in the tropics.
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The macaws
are in danger. In Costa Rica it is estimated that only
50 pairs of breeding Green Macaws
are left in the wild. Destruction of the forest habitat
is the primary reason, but the pet industry is also
to blame for the population threat. For 100s of years,
people have been keeping macaws for pets. They are the
most popular caged bird in the world.
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Critters
of Costa Rica Index
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