Today’s animal is the macaw. While recognizable to most, the macaw is a bird or a long-tailed new world parrot.

• There are six different macaw species.
• Macaws make their homes in forests, savannahs, and lowlands.
• However, macaws prefer the more tropical regions as you get closer to the equator and South & Central America.
• Some macaw species who lived on only one island have gone extinct.
• The hyacinth, Buffon, and green-winged species are the largest macaws.
• At about the size of a parakeet, the smallest macaw species is the red-shouldered macaw.
• Macaws are vegetarians that eat flowers, leaves, nuts, seeds, and stems.
• The larger macaw species can have 60 square miles of area to cover in a day to find food.
• Although more research is needed, macaws eat clay because of the salt. The clay banks are parrot salt licks.
• Close observations revealed some macaws feed clay to their chicks.
• Some parts of the Amazon River’s banks contain clay where you can see hundreds of macaws and other parrots eating the clay right out of the bank.
• Macaw feathers were used by the Ancient Incas and others for ceremonial dress in hats.
• Like most parrots, macaws can be pets, but they must have regular attention to thrive.