Hyacinth Macaw

The hyacinth macaw stands out as the largest of all parrots at 1 m long, attractively cloaked in cobalt blue feathers.

Playful and inquisitive, this giant parrot is known for its ability to mimic human speech and other sounds.

Toco toucans eat its eggs and nestlings but indirectly help it reproduce. This is because these toucans are the primary seed dispersers of Manduvi trees which the hyacinth macaw nests in almost exclusively.

The hyacinth macaw’s diet comprises some of the world’s hardest nuts – palm nuts, coconuts, brazil nuts and macadamia nuts obtained from its habitat.

It readily cracks them open with its massive beak that can exert 300 pounds of pressure per square inch.

As few animals have the ability to extract the kernels of hard nuts, such plants rely on this giant parrot to spread their seeds and regenerate the forest.

Macaws are prized as intelligent and sociable pets.

Like many macaw species, the hyacinth macaw is threatened by illegal over-collection for the live trade and habitat loss from fires and deforestation.

In 2003, its wild population was estimated to be just 4,300 adults. Thankfully, provision of artificial nest boxes has raised its numbers.