Names: Blue-throated Macaw, Caninde Macaw, Wagler's Macaw Scientific name: Ara glaucogularis (previously Ara caninde) Conservation status: Critically Endangered Info: The Blue-throated Macaw is endemic to north-central Bolivia. There about 350-400 individuals remaining in the wild. The macaw is about 85 cm long including the length of its tail feathers. It weighs about 900 g to 1100 g. Males are usually bigger than females. Upperparts are turquoise-blue, slightly duller on the crown, and brighter on the rump. It has a bare facial patch obscured by blue feather-lines merging into the blue lower cheek and throat, separated from the crown by a narrow yellow stripe and bare pink skin around the base of the large, black bill. The adults have yellow irises and the juveniles have brown irises. The eye colour of a nestling initially black and changes to brown soon after the eyes open. Between one and three years old, the eyes will turn grey, and then white. As the macaw matures, the iris turns yellow and the amount of gold increases with age. Blue-throated Macaws can be found in groups as small as nine, but sometimes one large roosting group of 70 is known. It is not known if these macaws will pair with another mate if their original mate dies. They do not eat seeds and nuts to the same extent as many other macaw species do. Instead, they eat primarily fruit from large palms.
