WildView™

September 24, 2020

Blue-headed Macaw – A Mini Macaw

- as seen by -

Aniko Totha

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This June, WCS’s Bronx Zoo World of Birds keepers welcomed their first-ever blue-headed macaw (Primolius couloni) hatch on exhibit.

For almost four weeks, our female blue-headed macaw and her mate elusively snuck in and out of the macaw exhibit’s big tree nest cavity to incubate their little white egg. Soon after, keepers started to hear muffled, tiny bird chirps and macaw chick vocalizations. It was music to our ears. The parents were diligent and attentive to the mysterious sounds in the nest cavity. Three months later, a curious, almost fledgling macaw eye peeked up and out over the entry of the nest cavity.

Day after day, the young macaw would venture more and more outside of the nest before finding itself awkwardly perching on some branches nearby. It took a few days to get its wings under it, but she’s finally got it.

Please stop by the second floor of the zoo’s World of Birds to say hi to our juvenile female blue-headed macaw, one of about 30 in Association of Zoos and Aquariums zoos. You can tell it’s her because of her darker eye and darker bill compared to her parents (photo, above).

Sometimes, referred to as “mini macaws” (those that are less than 20 inches in length), blue-headed macaws reach about 16 inches. These birds are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers are decreasing due to changes in their habitat and other human activities including the illegal pet trade.

Nikon D5

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