Chestnut-fronted Macaw

Ara severus

46 cm.. length and a weight between 285 and 387 g..

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus) It is a medium-sized Parrot with a plumage predominantly Green.

The male and female are almost identical and juveniles are hardly different from adults.

In the male adult, the feathers of the crown and the neck they are heavily infiltrated blue. The forecrown, chin and the area of the cheeks bordering with the bare skin of the face are brown. The curvature of the wing, carpal edge and small lower coverts are bright red. The bottom of the flight feather shows a dark red-orange color.

The tail is reddish brown with a blue tip. The bill greyish black. The bare skin of the face it is creamy white with fine lines of small black feathers. The irises is yellow, the legs grey.

The youth they are like the of adults, but have the tail shorter and the irises is grey.

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw may be confused with two species: the Blue-winged Macaw, Although this has a frontal band and stain abdominal Red and the Red-bellied Macaw Although it differs by having the facial skin yellow, and the abdomen red. On the other hand, These parrots are smaller and have a yellow color under the wings.

• Sound of the Chestnut-fronted Macaw.

While they are sometimes in clearings or on the edge of this habitat, the Chestnut-fronted Macaw, in general, avoid the great forests never invaded by water. They prefer areas that are periodically flooded, secondary forests, galleries of trees that border the watercourses, oil palm plantations, meadows and pastures where there are still some scattered stands of trees.

It depends on the region, These birds live in very different elevations of up 1000 metres in Colombia, 1500 meters in the South of Ecuador, and only 350 metres in Venezuela.

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw, usually, they live in pairs or in small groups. However they can form large gatherings when dorms are set or when food resources are abundant.

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw, sometimes, they feed in the company of the Red-bellied Macaw (Ara manilata).

During the day, they are essentially arboreal, preferring to remain at the top of the trees and in the canopy, where they remain well hidden in thick foliage. They are best observed at dawn and dusk, as they follow regular routes between their places of rest and feeding sites.

They fly directly, with fast rhythms revealing red underneath his wings stain.

They are birds sedentary. In some mountain areas, However, undertake altitudinal migrations.

Given the large size of its distribution area and large variation in latitude, nesting takes place at different times depending on the region, from March to may in Colombia, February-March in Panama, and from September to December in Suriname.

These macaws usually They nest in cavities of dead Palm trees, often just above the water, but they can also lay their eggs in a rock crevice.

The spawning usually includes 2 or 3 eggs. There is little information of this bird in the wild, but it is known that in captivity the period of incubation lasts a few 28 days. The reproductive cycle is particularly long, The chicks remain in the nest for a minimum of 9 weeks.

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw they are exclusively vegetarian. Its diet includes seeds of Hura crepitans, Sapium aureum, Cedrela odorata and Cupania cinerea, the pulp and the seeds of Inga laterifolia, Micropholis melinoneana, Euterpe precatoria and Gulielma, and fruits of Ficus, Cecropia feulla, Caraniana, as well as fruit of different types of fig trees or palms (especially species with small fruits); also flowers of, for example, Ferrule and Erythrina.

The birds are fed into silence in the canopy where they can be difficult to detect.

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw are distributed to the East of Panama and by South America reaching the center of Bolivia.

In East Panama they are in the tropical zone (records in the West to the North of the Canal area they are probably due to leaks), on the slope of the peaceful from the South of the Andes to the South of Ecuador (of Guayas to Pichincha) and in the Northern lowlands of Colombia, South to the upper area of the Valley of Sinu River, extending into the foothills of the Colombian Andes, in the valleys of the Cauca and Magdalena until Antioquia.

To the East of the Andes they occupy the Amazonian lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in Peace, Beni, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, going east of the foothills of the Andes through the West and South of the amazon (Although they are not known in the North of Brazil, for example, in Manaus or along the rivers Negro and Branco).

Propagate through the tropical zone of Venezuela in Zulia and from the West of Apure until Aragua, Northwest of Bolívar and the Amazonas along the Orinoco, reaching the Guianas and Amapá, Brazil.

To the South of the amazon is extended by the Mato Grosso, Brazil. A record to the South of Bahia is not confirmed.

Resident with seasonal movements of altitude in some areas (for example, West of Ecuador and North of Venezuela).

Pretty common throughout much of its range, and while the deterioration of habitat has caused serious decreases in population at the local level (for example, in the Valle del Cauca, Colombia and West of Ecuador), moderate deforestation has resulted in increases in other areas.

Although there are no reports in Guyana Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Chestnut-fronted Macaw they are still common in Suriname, especially in some coastal areas.

The species is kept in captivity, but the demand is not very big.

• Red List category of the UICN current: Least concern

• Population trend: Stable

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw they are quite common throughout much of its range birds. Apparently, they are able to survive to the selective deforestation and even capitalize.

In Venezuela it is a species with high rates of being traded as a pet due to its beauty and sociable behavior. The Ye'kwana on the Caura forest reserve in the State Bolívar, They include this species in his list of game birds, for its power and ornaments, but it is not the most hunted. In the State Carabobo is marketed as a pet according to data from the Regional Directorate for the Ecosocialism and waters-Carabobo.
On the part of the National Government is protected by the wildlife and its regulations protection law. Several of their populations are found in the national parks: Waraira Repano, Henri Pittier, The Caura forest reserve, San Esteban, Canaima. Currently the National office of biological diversity, Ministry of the Popular power for the environment He is working on defining the criteria to develop the official books of endangered species of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

In Bolivia, international trade in psittacines had caused significant problems for this species in the past, but since the beginning of 1980, their trade is prohibited.

Recently, the Chestnut-fronted Macaw have joined the ranks of other birds kept in captivity. For a time, most of the breeding birds of this species were acquired through the importation of wild specimens. Today this has changed, and most of these macaws today come from generations bred in captivity. Being recent its breeding in captivity, most of These parrots will retain much of their natural behaviors.

These small macaws are popular due to their friendly disposal and most likely will continue to grow in popularity in the future.

While they have not had hundreds of years of selection to tame their personalities, These macaws can be a fantastic pets if they are fed by hand and are well socialized from a young age.

They are creatures very curious, so they need a lot of mental stimulation to be healthy and happy. They should have on hand, games, toys, and daily interaction with your caregiver to make sure that you do not bored.

Most of the Chestnut-fronted Macaw they form links monogamous and they need to live with more birds in order to be able to form a family. Won't these birds well if they are isolated from family and some even become neurotic if their mental needs are not met.

A future buyer of a Chestnut-fronted Macaw You should plan on integrating this beautiful bird in his life to ensure the achievement of all the emotional and cognitive needs.

In general, to most of the Chestnut-fronted Macaw do not like being touched in excess, Although all birds are different and have their own personality. Assess your bird to see what what works best. These birds enjoying caresses next to the back of the neck, along their beaks, or around your eyes. They can be happy on the shoulders of its owner. Jewelry or shiny objects amaze quickly to this curious Parrot. For this reason, All chains, earrings, watches, bracelets , etc … they should stay away from our Macaw, since it could break if the bird decides to play with them.

Although these parrots fall into the category of small macaws, they maintain a high level of noise. It is not an ideal pet for apartments. If you decide to buy one and you live in an apartment, It may be a good reason to argue with your neighbors, Since these birds are noisy. Loud high-pitched sounds can easily be heard a few floors below and are to be expected during the early morning hours., at noon, and before the sunset. This is what they do in their natural habitat.

Yes a Chestnut-fronted Macaw It is continuously shouting for the attention of their owner, These calls should be ignored.. The bird is reacting the only way it knows how to get your attention. The best thing is to give attention during moments of tranquility that is account that this works best.

Unfortunately, many times a homeowner will come to the incessant screams of your Macaw in order to calm the neighbors below; But, This attention usually works in opposite way and the bird will continue to making noise because you know it will work.

Under no circumstances, the owner should be snapping the beak of the bird, spray it with water, or shout it when is making excessive noise. Such tactics only make the problem worse and parrots do not understand this type of punishment. On the other hand, owners should focus on something more positive for the bird and reward it in some way when it is quiet. With the time, the bird will recognize that this positive behavior works much better.

Despite these parrots can be noisy, in general, they are those who speak better of all macaws. One Chestnut-fronted Macaw You can speak with clarity and memorize a lot of words and phrases. They are possessors of some sharp voices that are a delight to listen. It must be said that the purchase of a parrot for his ability to speak is not the best idea, Since some parrots can never learn to talk and its owner can feel extremely disappointed. In its place, the best is to opt for a bird by its adorable and nice personality, If she starts to talk, then it will be an added advantage.

REPRODUCTION:

The breeding of Chestnut-fronted Macaw it's not very hard. While it is true there is time for the union of these birds, not much effort is needed to achieve that they reproduce successfully. It is always recommended do not use domestic birds in a breeding program, since once domesticated, they usually do not reproduce successfully.
The best candidates are those who have been exposed to other severe macaws and have lived within a Aviary.

When approaching the season of reproduction in spring and early summer, a bonded pair will be more vocal. During this time a female will look for a nesting site to raise their future pigeon. In most cases, This is usually a vertical wooden nest box or metal placed in a corner of the cage. Inside the box must have a ladder to be sure that the female can be up and down without damaging their eggs. The bottom of the box should also have some kind of soft base such as wood chips that are non-toxic to the parrot.; But, some female birds choose to remove wood chips. If this occurs, the owner must again enter a handful of chips in the nest box until you put the first egg since this keeps the egg and prevents it from moving around and damage to. The box should also be placed so that the owner has easy access to the eggs and chicks. Most boxes are suspended outside the cage with doors that open on the side of the box or the top..

The egg laying it's every other day until your clutch is complete. On average, a typical clutch will consist of between 2 to 4 white eggs. The female incubates eggs during 27 to 28 days. Just before hatching, the chickens will make a small hole from the inside of the egg in order to be able to breathe. This will alert the mother of arrival. Some mothers eat the shell to help recover the calcium that is lost while it incubated, However, others completely ignore it.

Once the chicks are hatching, the mother is left with the chick for several weeks until they can produce their own body heat and increased demand for food of baby birds. Until then, the male work tirelessly to ensure the young, the female, and himself, food. This moment of hard tension until that all babies are weaned; approximately 70 days.

FEEDING:

In the wild these birds feed on all kinds of food and it is important that we try to imitate their natural diet. This makes it a healthier bird. From time to time, We must provide palm nuts their beaks are designed to eat the fleshy external parts of these fruits. These dried fruits contain oils and enzymes you require our birds. A base diet of Pellet and seeds also must provide.

They have to be powered also with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. fruits like oranges, Kiwis, handles, apples, grapes, peaches and Plums they are great accessories for the bird. Many of these fruits can be cut into squares and presented as a skewer of a our Macaw, Since he likes to play with fruit and the sampling of all flavors.

The vegetables as the pumpkin, corn, Carrot, Kale, Spinach, celery and are generally a joy to most parrots. These vegetables can be cut during the dinner and were placed in the refrigerator during the future feed. In this way you will save time. Other healthy items are beans and legumes; although, beans and vegetables always must be cooked before feeding your bird. If a severe Macaw is cared for properly, and feeds with a variety of different foods that are healthy, It can live up to the 45 or 50 years.

– Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Brazilian Green Macaw, Chestnut fronted Macaw, Severa Macaw, Severe Macaw (English).
– Ara vert, Ara à front châtain, Ara sévère (French).
– Rotbugara (German).
– Maracanã-guacu, anacã, ararica, ararinha, ararinha-de-fronte-castanha, maracanã, maracanã-açu, maracanã-guaçu (Portuguese).
– Guacamaya Cariseca, Guacamayo Severo, Maracaná Grande (español).
– Guacamaya cariseca, Cheja cariseca (Colombia).
– Maracaná (Venezuela).
– Loro arara, Guacamayo frenticastaño (Ecuador).
– Tereche grande, Parabachi, maracaná grande (Bolivia).
– Shivaí (Chimane).
– Maracana Guasu (Guarani).
– Avensó (Embera).
– E-ara (Piaroa).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittacidae
– Genus: ARA
– Scientific name: Ara severus
– Citation: (Linnaeus, 1758)
– Protonimo: Psittacus severus

“Chestnut-fronted Macaw” (Ara severus)

Sources:

– Sounds: (Xeno-canto)