All birds/Psittacidae/Blue-and-yellow Macaw
AI reconstruction of Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)
Verified source photographMichael GäblerCC-BY · View source
PRB-0251Psittaciformes

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Guacamayo Azuliamarillo

Ara ararauna

IntroducedIUCN LC · Least Concern

The blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. It inhabits forest (especially varzea, but also in open sections of terra firme or unflooded forest), woodland, and savannah of tropical Central and South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. They are popular in aviculture because of their striking color, ability to talk, ready availability in the marketplace, and close bonding to humans. It is the most commonly kept macaw species in captivity worldwide as a pet or companion parrot and is also the cheapest among the large macaws. As of 2025, there are 1 million blue and gold macaws living in captivity worldwide, one of the highest populations of any large parrot in captivity.

FamilyPsittacidaeNew World and African Parrots
Puerto Rico occurrenceIntroducedAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatforestsForest
Primary dietHerbivoreOmnivore
Average mass1105 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementIrregular / nomadic movements; Sedentary / residentInsessorial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1084398Recording 1 of 3call
Spectrogram of Blue-and-yellow Macaw: call
SpectrogramAra ararauna

Play: call by Robson Silva e Silva

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Sound recorded by Robson Silva e Silva · XC1084398 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Blue-and-yellow Macaw

The blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. It inhabits forest (especially varzea, but also in open sections of terra firme or unflooded forest), woodland, and savannah of tropical Central and South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. They are popular in aviculture because of their striking color, ability to talk, ready availability in the marketplace, and close bonding to humans. It is the most commonly kept macaw species in captivity worldwide as a pet or companion parrot and is also the cheapest among the large macaws. As of 2025, there are 1 million blue and gold macaws living in captivity worldwide, one of the highest populations of any large parrot in captivity.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
forests
Elevation
0–500 m
Nest
Tree cavity · Tree
Clutch
1–3 eggs
Social behavior
Pairs / family groups; Singly and pairs

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 5 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading