Green-winged Macaws grow to lengths of up to 90 cm long and have a wingspan of up to 1.2 metres. They have a large curved beak that is used for cracking nuts and act as an aid in climbing. Macaws also have the "zygodactyl" foot configuration with two middle toes facing forward and the two outside toes facing backward. This aids in holding food and in climbing. This species of Macaw is a deep shade of red, with dark green on the wings. Their face is also lined with deep red coloured feathers. Flight feathers are blue and tail feathers are blue with a red tip and are shorter than other macaws in the same genus.
Macaws can be found in forests, swamplands, open savannahs, palm groves, along riverbanks in much of South America, ranging from Panama to Paraguay and east to the Guianas and Trinidad, and south to Argentina.
The Green-winged Macaws diet consists of seeds, fruits, nuts and limited vegetable matter. They have regular roost sites for the evenings and in the early mornings they will fly to their feeding grounds.
Macaws create nests in holes near the tops of trees. Usually two eggs are laid by the female with an incubation period of 24 to 26 days. The young are fledged in 13 weeks and reach adulthood in six months.
Green Winged Macaw Profiles
Age: 16 Years (DOB 30/11/1999)
Peppe is one of our beautiful Green Wing Macaws. He is the star of the free flight bird part of our Wildlife Warriors show, held daily in our Crocoseum, and has wowed crowds with his beauty for many years. And when you see him flying, you'll see that he has the time of his life! He loves to soar at high altitudes and makes sure everyone gets a good look at his magnificent colours as he flies past.
It's hard not to fall in love our Macaws; these magnificent jewels of the rainforest. Macaws are having a hard time out in the wild due to habitat loss and destruction and two beautiful species of Macaw are already extinct.