Exotic Birds

The Blue-and-yellow macaw is a large South American parrot. It is a member of the large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. These birds are popular in aviculture because of their striking color, ability to talk, ready availability in the marketplace, and close bonding to humans.

Blue-and-gold macaws have bright aqua-blue feathers on the top of their body except for the head, which is lime colored. The bottom, however, is a rich deep yellow/light orange. Their beak is black, as well as the feathers under their chin. Their feet are of a gray color, save for black talons. The birds have white skin, with their face having nearly no feathers besides a few black ones spaced apart from each other forming a striped pattern around the eyes. The irises are pale light yellow.

Life Span: 50-60 YEARS

Top Speed: 15 MPH

Weight: 31.7-0.1 OZ

Height: 29.9-33.9 INCH

A typical sighting is of a single bird or a pair flying above the forest canopy, though in some areas flocks can be seen. They often gather at salt licks. Scarlet macaws communicate primarily through raucous honks; however, vocal communication is highly variable, and captive macaws are known to be adept mimics of human speech.  The very colorful scarlet macaw is a large parrot. The plumage is predominantly scarlet, with light blue feathers on tail covert feathers and rump. The longer upper wing coverts are colored yellow, the upper sides of flight feathers on the wings are a dark blue, and so are the ends of their tail feathers. The undersides of the tail flight feathers and wings are dark red with the iridescence of metallic gold. These macaws have bare white skin surrounding their eyes and as far as the beak. Their upper beak is mostly pale, while the lower is black. Males and females look the same, and the only difference between young birds and adults is that the former have dark eyes while the latter have light yellow eyes.

Life Span: 40-50 YEARS

Top Speed: 35 MPH

Weight: 2 LBS

Length: 32 INCH

Adult emus have a covering of shaggy gray-brown feathers, apart from the heads and necks, which are mostly naked and bluish-black. The plumage varies in color due to environmental factors, giving the bird a natural camouflage. Feathers of emus in more arid areas with red soils have a rufous tint while birds residing in damp conditions are generally darker in hue. The juvenile plumage develops at about three months and is blackish finely barred with brown, with the head and neck being especially dark. The facial feathers gradually thin to expose the bluish skin. The wings of emus are greatly reduced in size, but they have long and powerful legs. There are three forward-facing toes on each foot, but no hind toe. When walking, the emu takes strides of about 100 cm (3.3 ft), but at full gallop, a stride can be as long as 275 cm (9 ft). It has sharp claws on its toes which are its major defensive attribute, and are used in combat to inflict wounds on opponents by kicking. Emus have good eyesight and hearing, which allows them to detect threats at some distance. 

Life Span: 5-20 YEARS

Weight: 39.6-132 LBS

Height: 59.1-74.8 INCH

Length: 58.5-61.8 INCH