Many of these often noisy parrots can be trained to mimic human speech. All macaws have large beaks, with the upper portion overlapping the lower. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, nuts, and fresh fruit. They have four toes, two pointing forward and two backward. Larger macaws have a lifespan of up to 75 years.
Macaws generally nest in treeholes or crevices in rocks.
Males and females are similarly colored. Many of the macaw species are threatened with extinction, due to their popularity as pets and destruction of their natural habitat. Poachers regularly steal the young from nests and export birds for illegal sale.