Hyacinth Macaw

A **Hyacinth Macaw** *(Anodorhynchus Hyacinthinus)* is the largest parrot on the planet. Their beaks are very strong. They can crack open even the toughest nuts – even ones that we can't open. They feed on fruit, nuts, insects, and snails. It is listed as Vulnerable on the ICUN Red List.

## Description

Hyacinth Macaws are dark blue with black beaks and eyes. They have a yellow eye-ring and on the bottom of their beaks. They also have very big beaks and claws. Hyacinths are noisy birds, like most macaws. This bird is the biggest kind of parrot, and it is, the is 100cm from the tip of its tail to the tallest part of its head, and a whopping wingspan of about 388 – 425mm each wing.

## Life Cycle

The life cycle of a Hyacinth Macaw is no different from any other bird's lifecycle. A Hyacinth goes from hatching out of an egg, to a baby bird, to a "Teenager" bird, to an adult bird, which then lays eggs, and the cycle repeats itself again. A chick starts to grow feathers at just four weeks old. From when it was a day old to nine weeks old, it grows a significant amount. When the hyacinth is a baby, it will rely on its mother or adult or thing that raises it for food. A young bird will imprint on its parent, or the biggest living thing (besides a plant) that is nearest to it. For example, if the hyacinth baby is raised by humans, it will start to imitate a human. If it is raised by a different bird, it will act like that other bird, even if it is not its actual mother.

## Diet

Hyacinths mostly feed on nuts, fruits, insects, and snails. Macaws can fly long distances with their huge wingspan in search for food. A Hyacinth Macaw can fly at a speed of 30 – 37 mph! The food that they eat is palm nuts from two specific types of palm trees. Most of the time, they need to eat those types of nuts that are already predigested by cattle. Since those are rare to find (especially ones that are predigested by cattle), it is probably best to substitute it for Brazil nuts, walnuts, macadamias, almonds, coconut, pistachios, and cashews. Some birds also eat damp soil, which may help to neutralize chemicals in their fruity diet and ease their stomachs.

## Range

In the wild, Hyacinths would live in central and eastern South America, but it can be found in homes as a pet. They live in areas associated with different rivers and they prefer palm swamps, woodlands, and other semiopen, wooded habitats. They avoid the denser forests, so they are restricted to the edge of these.

## ICUN Red List

The main reasons why the hyacinth macaw is becoming endangered is due to habitat loss and heavy exploitation for the pet trade. When people get a Hyacinth for a pet, they are actually contributing to the cause of the Hyacinth to become endangered. Trees are being cut down to remove the young from nest holes, which not only removes that generation of birds, but permanently destroys the nest site. This is a problem because there are 145 species of parrot in Central and South America, and already 45 are in danger of becoming extinct. Hyacinths don’t breed every year, even under the best conditions. Since captured young survive so poorly, adults are sometimes captured. Still, for every Macaw that gets to a pet store safely, it is likely that five died on the way. A solution to this is to not get one for a pet. That way, you don’t help them to become extinct. It is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).