Red-shouldered Macaw(Diopsittaca nobilis)
It has two distinct subspecies, the noble macaw and the Hahn's macaw, and a possible poorly distinct third subspecies that has longer wings, but is otherwise similar to the noble macaw. The Hahn's subspecies is named for German zoologist Carl-Wilhelm Hahn. The red-shouldered macaw, at 30 cm long and 165 g weight, is the smallest of all the macaws. Like all macaws, it has a long narrow tail and a large head.
It has bright green feathers on the body, with dark or slate blue feathers on the head just above the beak. The wings and tail have feathers that are bright green above and olive-green below. The leading edges of the wings, especially on the underside, are red. (These red feathers appear at puberty.) Their eyes are orange, and the skin around the eyes is white without feathers, just as in the larger macaws. This bare patch of facial skin is smaller in proportion to the head than the one seen in most larger macaws. The Hahn's macaw and noble macaw can be distinguished by the Hahn's having a black upper mandible and the Noble's having a lighter, horn-coloured upper mandible. Their natural vocalizations are more akin to screeches than they are to whistles.
Habitat
Noble Macaw: North of Amazon River in E Venezuela, in Delta Amacuro to N Monagas and north to SE Bolivar, Guianas, and NE Brazil in Roraima, N Para and Amapa.
Hahn's Macaw: NE Brazil, south of Amazon River, from Alagoas and Bahia west to Maranhao and SE Para, and south to C Goias.
D.n. longipennis: Interior of Brazil from C Goias and W Minas Gerais to NW Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso, through SE Peru to E and C Bolivia; introduced to Sao Paulo city.
Found up to 1400m in a variety of open wooded habitats, including savannas with scattered bushes and palm groves, sand belt forests, forest fringed savannas and coastal plantations, cerrado with Mauritia palm groves and fringes of the caatinga with Mauritia palms.
Diet
They mainly feed on nuts, seeds, fruits, berries and flowers; sometimes takes cereal crops.
Breeding
The red-shouldered macaw nests in a hole in a tree. There are usually three or four white eggs in a clutch. The female incubates the eggs for about 24 to 26 days, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 54 days after hatching.
Population
Noble Macaw: According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Least Concern(LC). The global population size has not been quantified, but this species is described as fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.
Hahn's Macaw: According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Least Concern(LC). The global population size has not been quantified, but this species is described as fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.
Threats
The main threat toward this species is the loss of their habitat.
Conservation
There are currently no conservation actions for this species.