Red-shouldered Macaw
From Freepedia
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| Image:HahnsMacaw.JPG Hahn's Macaw | ||||||||||||||
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The Red-shouldered Macaw(a.k.a. "noble macaw", "long-wing macaw" or "Hahn's macaw") is the smallest type of macaw available in the pet trade. These birds range from 12-14 inches in length, and have excellent speech mimicry. These birds are common in the commercial pet trade, but their numbers have been dropping in the wild due to habitat loss. They are not yet considered to be an endangered species, but they are listed in appendix two of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species. This status greatly limits the ability to capture or sell wild birds.
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Description
Like all macaws, P. nobilis has a long narrow tail and a large head. It has a bright green feathers on the body, with dark or slate blue feathers on the head just above the beak. The wings and tail have feathers that are bright green above, and olive green below. The leading edges of the wings, especially on the underside, are red. (These red feathers appear at puberty.) Their eyes are orange, and the skin around the eyes is white without feathers, just as is seen in the larger macaws. This bare patch of facial skin patch is comparatively smaller the one seen in larger macaws.
Taxonomy
The hahn's macaw is now considered to be a subspecies of Diopsittaca nobilis. It shares this designation with two other subspecies, the Noble Macaw and the Long-Wing Macaw. The genus Diopsittaca contains only these three forms of the red shoulder macaw. Previously they were listed in genus Ara with the other Macaws.
Speech
Hahns macaws mimic speech as well as the full sized types of macaws; i.e. clearly enough to easily understand, but their voices are not quite as human-like as an african grey or double-yellow-headed amazon. Their natural vocalizations are more akin to screeches than they are to whistles.
External Links
- Description of Hahns
- Photos of P. nobilis subspecies
- Macaw Landing Foundation
- AvianWeb - Macaw conservation status
- Explanation of CITES bird regulations
- IUCN endangered species list
