(_Ara cærulea_ or _Ara ararauna_)
The blue, or blue and yellow, macaw, the ararauna of the natives,
is one of the most familiar representatives of a group of tropical
American parrots characterised by their large size, long tails, and
brilliantly coloured plumage, as well as, it may be added, by their
atrociously loud, screaming cries, which render them among the most
objectionable of all birds as pets. In the species forming the subject
of the plate blue and yellow are the predominant hues; yellow, it
is said, being the equivalent among true parrots, in which white is
unknown, to no colour at all. The whole of the under surface and the
sides of the neck are deep orange-yellow, while the upper surface,
inclusive of the tail-coverts, is dark sky-blue. The range of this
species, like that of its relative the green and blue macaw (_Ara
severa_), extends only from Panama southwards through the tropical
forests of the New World. Other kinds are, however, found farther
north, the handsome red and blue species (_A. chloroptera_) and the red
and green macaw (_A. militaris_) extending, for instance, from Mexico
and central America to Bolivia. Four other species, known on account
of their deep blue colouring, as hyacinthine macaws, constituting the
genera _Anodorhynchus_ and _Cyanopsittacus_, are, on the other hand,
solely Brazilian.
Macaws are not only strong fliers, but likewise excellent climbers,
and in the latter mode of progression make use of their powerful beaks
as well as their feet, in captivity, at any rate, frequently hanging
from a branch or perch by the beak alone, which is specially adapted
for obtaining a hold on smooth branches by the sharp downward curvature
of the extremity of its upper half. The food of these birds includes
fruits and seeds, especially hard nuts of various kinds, which are
cracked in the strong beak as if in a vice. When the fruits or nuts are
large, they are held to the beak in one foot. The thick, fleshy tongue
aids in extracting the inside of fruits from the rind, or the kernels
of nuts from their shells.
[Illustration]
All macaws are essentially birds of the great primeval forests of
tropical America, the blue and yellow species being especially abundant
in those of northern Brazil. During the hottest hours of the day these
birds sit quietly perched on the lower branches of thick-foliaged
trees, the long tail hanging straight down, and the neck being drawn
in. After resting for several hours, they issue forth in search of
food; and a flock of these magnificent birds on the wing in the clear
air of the tropics is a truly splendid sight, as they fly slowly to
and from their feeding-places. Having selected a likely looking tree,
the whole flock descend with a rush, and proceed to strip it of its
fruit. Quickly each bird climbs out to the end of a branch and sets to
work at cracking nuts, or devouring softer fruit. When such a flock
of araraunas is feasting, little is seen of the birds themselves, but
their presence is amply manifested by their incessant and discordant
cries and screams. If a shot be fired in the neighbourhood, the whole
flock rises immediately in a gold and azure cloud. Macaws of all kinds
constantly make raids on cultivated crops, where, unless promptly
driven off, they do incalculable damage in a surprisingly short space
of time, cocoa being one of the crops to which they are specially
partial.
As is the case with all members of the parrot tribe, the union between
the sexes of the ararauna is very close: the two members of a pair are
thorough comrades, and live only for themselves and their offspring.
At the pairing-season each couple of the older birds resorts to the
same spot, and often to the same tree, as has served them previously
as a breeding-place. For the nest a tall tree is always selected, and
a slit in the trunk or a hollow in one of the branches is enlarged
by means of the powerful beak until a cavity large enough to contain
the nest is excavated. In this chamber the female ararauna deposits a
couple of white eggs of nearly the same size as those of a domesticated
hen, afterwards incubating them with great assiduity, her long tail
projecting all the time out of the hole, and thus revealing the
situation of the nest.
Tame araraunas and other macaws are much esteemed by the Indians
of Brazil and other South American countries. These dwell on the
properties of their owners, and fly off to feed in the fields, just
in the same manner as domesticated pigeons in Europe. They form the
ornaments of the Indian poultry-yard.
In captivity in Europe macaws thrive well, and can be taught to speak,
although they never turn out such good linguists as many other members
of the parrot tribe.