Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) in close-up by Rini Kools

Blue-and-yellow macaws grow about 80-90 centimetres long and weigh up to 900-1300 grams. They are characterised by their colourful plumage with blue and olive-yellow wings and tail and a green tip on the macaw's head. The throat and breast is coloured olive yellow. Their beak is black and very powerful and capable of cracking large nuts. There is hardly any sexual dimorphism between the male and female. The male is often slightly more robust in his build and usually has a slightly broader bill.
This macaw species is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Its habitat consists of both dry and moist tropical and subtropical forests. It is also found on savannas. It is easiest to find near water.
The menu of this bird includes various fruits, nuts such as the almond and palm nuts, young buds of plants and trees, seeds, tree bark and nectar. Even while eating, the animal usually sits in the tops of trees, mostly in pairs or groups. Its powerful beak is used to crack hard nuts. In doing so, the animal holds the nut in its paw. Near river banks, the animals are sometimes seen eating clay. On the one hand, the clay provides additional minerals, and on the other, clay helps neutralise toxins in the seeds they eat.
Males and females form a couple for life. The parrots nest in tree cavities. The breeding season is between the months of December to May, depending on the nature of the habitat.