Life in the rainforest - Canopy Layer

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About the Macaw

Macaws are the largest of all parrots. Macaws range in size from about one foot to a little over three feet. There are sixteen different species of macaws.

Macaws are colorful birds. All have beautiful tails that are as long or longer than their bodies. They have pointed long wings which help them to fly quickly.

Macaws use their sharp hooked bills to eat nuts, fruits, and seeds. Their beaks need to be strong to break open the hard nut pods found in the rainforest. Macaws have strong feet allowing them to hold onto things. They have four toes two point in one direction and the other two point in the opposite. This helps them to feed themselves.

Macaws can be found in both the emergent layer as well as the canopy of the rainforest in Central and South America. They live in holes in trees. They are on the endangered species list because of the destruction of the rainforests. Another contributing factor to the declining number of macaws are people capturing them for pets.

Here Are Some Pictures of Different Macaws


Two green-winged macaws Femal macaws are larger than males.		This Scarlet Macaw can be found in the rainforests of Honduras.

This scarlet macaw can be found in the rainforests of Costa Rico.		This blue and gold macaw can be found in the dense tropical rain forests of South America.

Macaws use their strong sharp beak to break open tough nut pods, and peeling tropical fruits. Parrots have more movement in their beaks than most other birds. This allows them to access a larger variety of nuts than other birds.		The Scarlet Macaw lives in tall trees that are near rivers and coastal areas. Scarlet Macaws can be found from southern Mexico to the Amazon Basin of Brazil.


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Website created and maintained by Lisa Dispenza Last updated: Monday July 24, 2006