page_title: Ara (genus)
section_title: Feeding and diet
hierarchical_section_title: Ara (genus) / Feeding and diet
caption_attribution_description: Ara severa, Amazona ochrocephala, Aratinga weddellii Deutsch: Rotbugaras, Gelbscheitelamazonen, Braunkopfsittiche in Ecuador. English: Chestnut-fronted Macaws (Ara severa) Yellow-crowned Amazons (Amazona ochrocephala) and Dusky-headed Conures (Aratinga weddellii) at a clay lick in Ecuador.
context_page_description: Ara is a neotropical genus of macaws with eight extant species and at least two extinct species. The genus name was coined by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. It gives its name to and is part of the Arini, or tribe of neotropical parrots. The genus name Ara is derived from the Tupi word ará, an onomatopoeia of the sound a macaw makes.
  The Ara macaws are large striking parrots with long tails, long narrow wings and vividly coloured plumage. They all have a characteristic bare face patch around the eyes. Males and females have similar plumage. Many of its members are popular in the pet trade, and bird smuggling is a threat to several species.
context_section_description: Like all macaws and most parrots seeds and fruit are the major part of the diet of the genus Ara. The particular species and range of diet varies from species to species. Unlike many birds, macaws are seed predators not seed dispersers, and use their immensely strong beaks to open even the hardest shells. Their diet overlaps with that of some monkey species; in one study of green-winged macaws in Venezuela they shared many of the same trees as bearded sakis, although in some cases they ate the seeds at an earlier stage of ripeness than the sakis, when they contained more poison. Macaws, like other parrots, may consume clay to absorb toxic compounds produced by some poisons. As well, the toxic compounds of some foods may be neutralized by compounds, such as tannins, found in other foods consumed at the same time.
caption: Chestnut-fronted macaws, mealy amazons, and dusky-headed parakeets at a clay lick in Ecuador
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 20D", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.1.6", "Image DateTime": "2007:06:16 14:45:23", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.4.9", "Image ExifOffset": "222", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/160", "EXIF FNumber": "28/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:05:27 12:45:35", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:05:27 12:45:35", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "8347/1140", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2729/549", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-1", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Average", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "300", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1280", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "853"}