Little Blue Macaw (Arara Azul Pequena)

Scientific Name

The scientific name of the little blue macaw is Anodorhynchus glaucus.

Where does it live?

The Little Blue Macaw lives next to rivers in Argentina's northwest, Paraguay's south, Bolivia's east, Uruguay's northeast, and in the south of Brazil.

Characteristics of the species:

• The Little Blue Macaw is an oviparous, which are animals that lay eggs;

• It eats many types of ripe and unripe fruits, nuts and seeds, flowers, leaves, and stems of plants, and protein like insects and snails;

• They have a shade light blue, with a mix of sky blue on its feathers, and its beak is black. They mostly have blue-gray shades on their nape(back of the neck). Their stomach is a lighter blue, their tails and flight feathers are black and their lower feathers are greenish;

• Its weight can be from 270g to 360g and its height can be from 55cm and 60cm;

• The female and male look similar, but the female is a little smaller.;

• They usually travel in a small group or pairs;

• They are shy birds and if someone comes near them, they would fly off;

• They are masters at mimicry and can mimic people and they are noisy.

Why is it endangered?

The Little Blue Macaw is listed as endangered, in part because of habitat loss due to farming. But the primary cause is the pet trade. It is estimated that 10,000 birds were illegally collected in the 80s. The price of a captive bird used to reach up to $12,000 USD. Some believe that less than 7,000 Little Blue Macaw still exist in the wild.

What can we do to help?

We can learn about and help organizations that protect the Little Blue Macaw.

One good project is The Hyacinth Macaw Project that promotes the conservation of this bird. To donate money for this project, you can send an e-mail to projetoararaazul@uol.com.br

Sources:

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arara-azul-pequena

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/macaw

http://www.vale.com/brasil/EN/initiatives/environmental-social/little-blue-macaw/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.extinction.photo/species/hyacinth-macaw/

https://www.fws.gov/international/scarlet-macaws.html

https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?12641/The-hyacinth-macaw-makes-a-comeback