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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Mexican
military macaw, Mexican green macaw |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Psittaciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Psittacidae
(true parrots) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ara
(macaw) militaris mexicana |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
Mexican military macaw is a medium-sized macaw with
mostly green plumage except for a red frontal band
and a blue tinge on the back of head. The beak is
black with a pale tip, the iris is yellow, and the
feet are gray. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
70 cm (27.6 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
900 g (31.7 oz) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
seeds, fruits, nuts, and berries |
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| INCUBATION: |
Approximately
26 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
1-2 eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
12 weeks |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
2-4
years |
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| RANGE: |
Colombia,
Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
arid and semi-arid regions |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Less
than 10,000 |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable |
| CITES |
Appedix
I |
| USFWS |
Vulnerable |
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| 1. |
Macaws
are monogamous, remaining bonded for life. They
are often seen flying in large flocks and the bonded
pairs fly close together, their wings nearly touching. |
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| 2. |
In
the wild, macaws often flock to mountains of clay
known as "macaw licks". |
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| 3. |
Macaws
are playful and inquisitive and are able to mimic
human vocalizations very well. |
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| 4. |
Macaws
are extremely messy eaters - their incredibly strong
beaks are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts
of nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack
open incredibly hard-shelled nuts with ease. |
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| 5. |
Macaws
are able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. |
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In
the course of daily feeding, macaws allow plenty
of seeds (while eating, as well as in their droppings)
to fall to the forest floor, thus generating much
of the forest growth.
These
birds suffer from deforestation. Humans destroy
many of their nests and natural factors such predators,
storms, illnesses, parasites, and competition
for nesting cavities with other species including
African bees.
The
U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import
of any bird listed by CITES which includes most
parrots - endangered or threatened.
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|
|
Forshaw,
J.M. Parrots of the World. New Jersey.
T.F.H. Publications Inc. 1978.
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|
| Low,
R. Macaws, A Complete Guide. London. Merehurst. |
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| Marrison,
C. and A. Greensmith. Birds of the World.
New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc. 1993. |
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| Perrins,
C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New
York: Facts on File Publications. 1985. |
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| http://www.audubon.org/local/latin/bulletin6/featured.html |
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| BirdLife International (2008) Species factsheet: Ara militaris. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/8/2008. |
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