The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest flying parrot in the world, an unmistakable bird cloaked almost entirely in deep cobalt-blue feathers. Reaching about a metre from beak to tail tip, it dwarfs every other parrot in the Americas and is rivalled in length only by the slender Long-tailed Macaws. Bare skin of vivid yellow rings the eye and borders the lower bill, giving the face a striking painted look against the sea of blue.
This macaw is a specialist of the palm savannas and gallery forests of central South America, where its powerful bill is put to work cracking some of the hardest palm nuts of any bird. Long-lived, intelligent and strongly pair-bonded, Hyacinth Macaws travel and roost in small family groups and can live for several decades. Heavy trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss pushed the species into decline, though targeted conservation in Brazil has helped some populations recover.
There is little that can be confused with an adult Hyacinth Macaw. It is enormous, uniformly rich blue, and shows two bold patches of bare yellow skin on the face. The massive curved black bill and long pointed tail complete a silhouette that is unmistakable in flight or perched.
| Size | About 100 cm long, the largest flying parrot |
| Plumage | Deep cobalt-blue overall, slightly darker on the wings |
| Face | Bright yellow bare skin around the eye and along the lower bill |
| Bill | Very large, strongly hooked and black |
| Tail | Long, pointed and blue |
| Sexes | Males and females look alike |
Hyacinth Macaws are loud and far-carrying. Their usual call is a deep, harsh, guttural squawk or growling 'kraaa' that echoes across open savanna, often given in flight or in noisy exchanges between members of a pair. They also produce a range of softer croaks and rolling notes when perched together.
The species occurs in three main regions of central and eastern South America: the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, the cerrado and gallery forests of the eastern Brazilian interior, and parts of the eastern Amazon basin. It favours open palm savanna, seasonally flooded grassland and lightly wooded country rather than dense rainforest, always in association with the palms it depends on for food.
The diet is dominated by the nuts of a small number of palm species, especially acuri and bocaiuva palms. The macaw's colossal bill can crush nuts hard enough to resist a hammer, and in the Pantanal the birds often feed on nuts that have passed through cattle, which softens the outer husk. They also take other fruits and seeds on occasion.
Hyacinth Macaws nest in large tree cavities, most often in the manduvi tree in the Pantanal, and sometimes in cliff faces. The female lays one or two eggs and incubates for around a month, though typically only a single chick survives to fledge. Young remain dependent on their parents for many months, which contributes to the species' slow reproductive rate.
- Lear's Macaw: Smaller and paler blue with a duller, greyish sheen, restricted to a tiny range in northeast Brazil
- Glaucous Macaw: Greenish-blue and almost certainly extinct, once found further south in the Parana basin
- Blue-and-yellow Macaw: Blue above but bright yellow below, a very different two-tone bird
Is the Hyacinth Macaw the largest parrot in the world?
It is the largest flying parrot by length, at about a metre. The flightless Kakapo of New Zealand is heavier, and some macaws rival it in wingspan, but no other flying parrot is longer.
Why is the Hyacinth Macaw endangered?
Decades of trapping for the pet trade, combined with loss of nesting trees and feeding habitat, caused steep declines. It is listed as Vulnerable, though conservation projects in Brazil have stabilised or increased some populations.
What do Hyacinth Macaws eat?
Their diet is built around very hard palm nuts, which they crack with their powerful bill. They mainly rely on a few palm species such as acuri and bocaiuva.
How long do Hyacinth Macaws live?
They are long-lived birds, often reaching 40 years or more, and pairs bond for life.