Kinds of Pet Macaws: Large Pet Birds in the Parrot Family from Latin America

Macaws are some of the most popular pet birds. These large members of the parrot family are beautifully colored and make excellent family pets.

There are many species of macaws, large parrots, in the wild (though some have recently gone extinct due to habitat loss), but a few certain kinds are kept as pets. All macaws naturally eat nuts, seeds, and fruits, and they usually live from about 25-75 years. Many species of macaws are threatened by habitat loss and illicit animal trade. Following are the popular pet bird macaws.

Blue and Gold Macaw, a Popular Pet Bird

Blue and gold macaws (Ara ararauna), also known as blue and yellow macaws, are beautiful parrots that are up to about 34 inches long, and have sky blue backs, head tops, wings, and tails, and brilliant yellow undersides. Like all parrots, macaws have large, curved beaks. These popular pet birds are naturally found from Panama well into South America, and on some islands of the Southern Caribbean.

Scarlet Macaws, Pet Parrots from Central America

Scarlet macaws, pet birds in the parrot family (Ara macao) that are mainly found from Mexico to Northern South America naturally, grow to about 3 feet in length. These popular birds are reddish-orange all over, except they have yellow and blue wings that can sometimes have some emerald green feathers. Their tails may also have blue feathers in places. Like all macaws, these birds are playful and very vocal. Scarlet macaws look very similar to the red and green, or green-winged macaws, which have green instead of yellow on the wings.

Military Macaws, Parrot Birds from Latin America

Military macaws (Ara militaris) are slightly smaller than most other species of large macaws, as they only grow to about 28 inches in length. They are naturally found from Mexico into the middle of South America, and only in particular populations. These birds are emerald green with red face fronts, blue wing tips, and yellow feathers under the wings and tails. These popular pet birds have very strong beaks, like all macaws, and military macaws are naturally found in large flocks.

Hyacinth Macaws, Pet Birds from South America

Hyacinth macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) are naturally found in Amazonia in Northern South America. These birds grow to over 40 inches in length, and are bright indigo blue, with yellow skin around the beaks and eyes, and they have black beaks. They are different from most other popular pet birds in the macaw family because they do not have bare patches around the eyes.

There are many other kinds of pet macaws, but the ones above are the most popular as pet birds in the family. Although different genera are designated as "macaws," (for instance, the hyacinth is of a different genus than the others above), they are all very closely related. Many of these large pet birds can be interbred, resulting in beautifully colored hybrid birds.

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