Hyacinth macaws are crackers – and that’s no insult! They are the best nut crackers you’re ever likely to see. They use their bumper sized beaks to crack large palm nuts, much too tough for any other animal to break open!
These colourful birds are the biggest in the parrot family, reaching up to 1m long! Many people think they’re the most stunning parrots, with deep blue feathers, a yellow ring around the eye and yellow round their black, curved beaks.
Unfortunately, their numbers have drastically fallen over recent decades due to humans relentlessly hunting them for the pet trade. Hyacinth macaws have also suffered as farms and urban developers have taken over large parts of the forest where they live.
The availability of the palm tree species from which they get their nuts to feed on is crucial for their continued survival. Pairs mostly nest in tree hollows, but sometimes in holes or caves. Females usually lay two white eggs which they sit on for 30 days then chicks stay in the nest getting stronger for another 100 days.
STOP ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE
This beautiful macaw species is vulnerable to extinction
The illegal bird trade and loss of places to nest has dramatically affected the population. Parrots are taken from the wild and sold as pets around the world.
They’re trapped and crammed together for long journeys to other countries. A huge number of them die of stress, disease, rough handling or dehydration on the way.
NOW is the time to ACT FOR WILDLIFE. Conservation is CRITICAL; species are under threat. TOGETHER we can make a BIG difference. Take action TODAY and join us in PREVENTING EXTINCTION.