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| Common Name: | Red-fronted macaw | Family: | Psittacidae |
| Latin Name: | Ara rubrogenys | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Bird | Habitat: | Scrubland |
| Native To: | South America | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
Red-fronted macaws at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has two red-fronted macaws: a male and a female. The male was hatched in 1994 and came to us in 1995 from the Chester Zoo, located in Cheshire, United Kingdom. Our female came from a private individual in September of 1995.
Our red-fronted macaws are fed on diets of seeds, nuts, fruit and vegetables. Male red-fronted macaws are slightly larger than the females and have a heavier beak, but otherwise the sexes are quite similar.
This pair of macaws have not yet reared any chicks, but we know from previous breeding seasons that they will lay fertile eggs and incubate them. Our birds are genetically quite important in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), co-ordinated by staff at Edinburgh Zoo, so we hope that they will breed in the future.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns the Edinburgh Zoo, also funds vital work for red-fronted macaw conservation in the species’ native Bolivia. You can find out more about the RZSS’s work with red-fronted macaw conservation in the wild at the Red-Fronted Macaw page in our Research and Conservation section.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
The red-fronted macaws can be found in the East Aviaries, behind the sun bear enclosure.
Red-fronted macaws in the wild
The red-fronted macaw (Ara rubrogenys) is native to a small area on the east Andean slopes of south-central Bolivia. It is estimated that there may be fewer than 500 breeding pairs left in the wild.
The red-fronted macaw is a medium-sized parrot, typically measuring about 55 – 60 cm (21.5 – 23.5 inches) long. It is mostly green, with a red forehead and red patches over the ears and on the bend of the wings. It also has blue primary feathers.
This species’ original natural habitat was dry forest, but centuries of human activity causing habitat degradation and destruction has caused red-fronted macaws to be found mostly in thorn and cactus scrub. The red-fronted macaw’s diet includes seeds and fruit. However, natural food sources are often scarce, causing macaws to feed extensively on crops. This causes conflict with farmers, who view the macaws as a crop pest and kill them.
Because of their extremely small and declining population, red-fronted macaws have been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an Endangered species, meaning that the species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. One of the major threats to red-fronted macaws is habitat destruction, due mainly to overgrazing by goats, firewood cutting and charcoal production. Illegal trapping for the pet trade is another major threat to this species.
IUCN Red List category: Endangered
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