There are 17 living species, and several West Indian species are extinct.
Macaws vary greatly in size.
Macaws are in great demand for the zoo and pet trade, and thousands are exported, both legally and illegally, to other parts of the world. Both because of this drain on the natural populations and because of habitat loss, several species are severely endangered, especially the blue Spix's macaw, which formerly lived in the interior of Brazil, but is now nearly or wholly extinct in the wild. Most frequently seen in pet stores and aviaries are the blue and yellow macaw and the scarlet macaw, both of which are still reasonably common. The hyacinth macaw is classified as Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus, the red-shouldered macaw as Ara nobilis, Spix's macaw as Cyanopsitta spixii, the blue and yellow macaw as Ara ararauna, and the scarlet macaw as Ara macao. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.