These enormous and often brilliantly colored parrots are native to Central and South America. Their beautiful plumage comes in every color of the rainbow, and typically have long, graceful tails that are the envy of pigeons the world over. Macaws are extremely intelligent and social, and spend most of their time in pairs or small flocks.
Macaws have large, powerful beaks for cracking the hard nuts and seeds that they find in the rainforest canopy. They are also extremely vocal, with loud screams and squawks that echo throughout the forest. Macaws are also popular pets, and many are illegally captured for sale overseas. The illegal pet trade, combined with deforestation, has led to the majority of macaw species being listed as endangered. Today there are 17 species of macaws found in the wild, and observing them is a captivating and unforgettable experience.
Making it Happen
Macaws are elusive creatures with wide home ranges, who can travel up to 62 miles across the forest in search of seasonal delicacies. Despite this, and their endangered status, macaws can be easy to view in the wild if you know where to look. In the western Amazon Rainforest, hundreds of macaws gather at exposed river banks almost every day to feast on the clay found there. These clay licks are found throughout the western Amazon in South America, but the largest and easiest to view is found in Peru, at the Tambopata Research Center.
Peru
Ecuador