Habitat:
Description:
Physical Adaptations:
Behavioral Adaptations:
Diet:
Learned Behaviors:
Instincts:
- The scarlet macaw lives in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America.
Description:
- It is a large red, yellow, and blue South American parrot.
- The Scarlet Macaw is about 32 to 36 inches long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail.
- The scarlet macaw has three different colors that predominantly cover its body from its pointed tail, head, and shoulders, to the tips of its wings. The head and chest regions are scarlet and the wings go from scarlet to yellow with blue tips. The tail follows the same pattern. The back is predominantly yellow. The face has white skin around the eyes to the beak. The upper mandible is more of a white color, and the lower is a dark black
Physical Adaptations:
- The macaw’s beak is adapted to generate 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, granting it the ability to open the toughest nuts, while its thick fleshy tongue is used to move food around.
- Macaws can also use their beaks like a third foot.
- The macaw’s feet are adapted to grab, hold, and examine items. This allows it to hang upside down or pick fruit right out of a tree.
- The tail of a macaw is great for balancing on any kind of branch.
- The legs and feet are black.
- They have four-toed feet. two toes point forward and two toes point backward. This allows the bird to grasp tree branches.
Behavioral Adaptations:
- Scarlet Macaws make loud, low-pitched, throaty squawks and screams. This helps the bird communicate, mark its territory, and find a mate.
- Scarlet Macaws typically live alone or in mating pairs.
- These magnificent birds can fly at speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
- the female lays 2-4 white, rounded eggs.
- The young will continue to stay with the parents up to two years.
- Scarlet Macaws build their nests high in the rain forest’s trees. They will use a hole in the tree to build their nest.
- They spend most of their day in flight, covering huge distances.
- They build their nests very high off the ground (over 100 feet), where they lay their eggs.
Diet:
- Scarlet Macaws mostly eat fruits and seeds, including large, hard seeds. They are herbivores.
- They will fly some distance in search of food, which includes a variety of fruits, nuts, flowers or nectar.
Learned Behaviors:
- Young birds learn to recognize predators by observing the behavior of other birds.
Instincts:
- Baby macaws are born knowing how to peck.
- Baby macaws are born knowing how to sing or make noises.
- Scarlet macaws are born knowing where and how to build a nest.