# Great Green Macaw (*Ara ambiguus*) The Great Green Macaw is a colorful bird with bright green feathers and a long tail. They are known for their playful nature and love to hang out in trees in the rainforest. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Rainforests - **Also known as:** Buffon's Macaw ![Great Green Macaw](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ara_ambigua.JPG&width=800) Photo: Alois Staudacher, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ara_ambigua.JPG) ## Appearance The Great Green Macaw is a striking large parrot with brilliant lime-green plumage, accented by a bright red forehead patch and pale blue on its wing edges. Its bare facial skin features distinctive lines of small black feathers. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Psittaciformes - **Family:** Psittacidae - **Genus:** Ara ## Interesting facts - Great Green Macaws have unique facial feather lines, much like human fingerprints! - Their loud calls can be heard from over a mile away in the dense rainforest! - These huge birds often nest inside hollows of the tallest, oldest forest trees. - They share food like a family, often feeding weaker flock members first! ## Special abilities - **Nutcracker Beak:** Great Green Macaw has an incredibly powerful, hooked beak that helps them crack open the toughest nuts and seeds with ease. - **Acrobatic Climber:** Great Green Macaw can use its strong feet and beak like extra limbs, helping them climb expertly through dense forest canopies. - **Loud Lookout:** Great Green Macaw can make incredibly loud squawks and calls that help them communicate miles away and warn of danger. - **Clever Tongue:** Great Green Macaw has a dry, scaly tongue that helps them explore and extract seeds from challenging fruits. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 85-90 cm - **Wingspan:** 100-120 cm - **Weight:** 1.3-1.6 kg - **Lifespan:** 50-60 years - **Speed:** 55 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 2-3 - **Incubation:** 25-28 days ## Diet & Feeding This vibrant bird enjoys a diverse plant-based diet, cracking open tough nuts and munching on fruits. - **Primary Foods:** Mountain Almond seeds, fruits, nuts, flowers, bark - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Depends on:** Mountain Almond (*Dipteryx panamensis*) — Its seeds are a crucial food source, especially for breeding. - **Eaten by:** [Harpy Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/harpy-eagle) (*Harpia harpyja*) — This powerful jungle eagle is a natural predator of adult macaws. - **Eats:** Maripa Palm (*Attalea maripa*) — They often eat the fruits and seeds from this tall palm. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Tool Use](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tool-use): This trait describes organisms that manipulate external objects to achieve a specific goal. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Rainforest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rainforest): This habitat trait refers to species found in tropical rainforests, characterized by high annual rainfall, high biodiversity, and dense tree cover. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and do not try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Great Green Macaw? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Great Green Macaw? 85-90 cm ### What is Great Green Macaw's wingspan? 100-120 cm ### How much does Great Green Macaw weigh? 1.3-1.6 kg ### How long does Great Green Macaw live? 50-60 years ### How fast can Great Green Macaw move? 55 km/h ### What does Great Green Macaw eat? This vibrant bird enjoys a diverse plant-based diet, cracking open tough nuts and munching on fruits. ### Where is Great Green Macaw usually found? Rainforests ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Great Green Macaw: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-green-macaw)