See Our Live Penguin Cam!
Check out Edinburgh Zoo's penguins with our LIVE Penguin Cam.
Plan You Visit
Find out how to make the most of your trip and book tickets here.
Adopt an Animal!
Are you an ardent animal lover? looking for a gift idea?
Why not adopt an animal from either Edinburgh Zoo or Highland Wildlife Park for a whole year!
| Common Name: | Illiger's macaw | Family: | Psittacidae |
| Latin Name: | Primolius maracana | Diet: | Frugivore |
| Type: | Bird | Habitat: | Tropical Rainforests |
| Native To: | South America | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Near threatened |
Illiger's macaws at Edinburgh Zoo
Here at Edinburgh Zoo we have an adult pair of Illiger’s macaws plus two male and one female juveniles. The adult female hatched in May 2001 and arrived in March 2005 from Lisbon. The adult male came here from Twycross Zoo in November 2005 where he hatched in October 2002. They bred in 2010 for the first time, producing three chicks.
Where it can be found at the Zoo
Both of our Illiger's macaws can be found in the aviary at the flamingos.
Illiger's macaws in the wild
The Illiger’s macaw (Primolius maracana) is also known as the Blue-winged macaw and is found in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina living in palm groves and tropical evergreen forests close to water. It has green plumage with its crown, neck, and throat bluish green; its forehead is red while its flight feathers are blue. The bill is black while its eyes are an orange brown colour.
Its diet consists of seeds, fruit, nuts and berries and its strong beak allows it to crack open hard shelled nuts easily. Macaws feed on palm nuts and will nest in holes in the palms; as these trees grow in water, this gives the macaw extra protection from predators. While eating, Illiger’s macaws drop many seeds in the forest floor, allowing the forest to regrow. Where their habitat has been destroyed, they will forage in grain or maize fields.
The female lays two eggs, which are incubated for approximately a month. After they hatch it takes eleven weeks for the chicks to grow their feathers and fly. Chicks stay with their parents for approximately one year. The lifespan for the Illiger’s macaw is approximately 50 years.
The Illiger’s macaw has been facing many threats in the wild; its habitat is being cleared for timber, farming, plantations and expanding human settlements. However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this cannot fully explain its declining numbers, since it has also disappeared from localities where apparently suitable habitat remains.
The pet trade has also drastically reduced the Illiger's macaw's numbers, with smugglers stealing eggs and young birds to sell. Due to these threats, the Illiger's macaw has been listed by the IUCN as a Near Threatened species. This means that the species is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
IUCN Red List category: Near Threatened
Adopt an Illiger's macaw Please adopt me - I don't have any adopters!
View our other animal profiles: