![]() Many times chicks in the same nest compete for food, and most often only the older, stronger chick survives. Their eyes remain shut for several days, and they are sparsely covered in downy feathers, so they need their parents’ care until they grow their plumage, at about 10 weeks of age. Once chicks hatch, both parents bring them food. Only the mother does the incubating until the chicks hatch the father is in charge of bringing food to her. Most macaw pairs breed once a year, and the female lays her eggs in a nest inside a tree hollow or in a dirt hollow on a cliff face. The bond is so strong that even when the pair flies with a large flock, the two stay close together, with their wings almost touching. The pair reinforces its bond by preening each other’s feathers, sharing food, and roosting together. This close relationship is called a pair bond. When adult macaws choose mates, they usually stay together until one of them dies. Macaws usually live in pairs, and after the nesting season, in family groups. Scientists believe the soil may neutralize any toxic chemicals the birds might eat in seeds or unripe fruits. This makes the nuts softer and easier for the macaws to eat! Macaws also visit riverbanks and cliffs made of clay soil, which they eat. The cattle eat the palm nuts, which pass through their digestive system and come out the other end with the nut’s hard coating removed. One trick they use for this is to forage in fields where cattle live. Some specialize in eating the hard fruits and nuts of palm trees. Macaws eat a variety of ripe and unripe fruits, nuts and seeds, flowers, leaves, and stems of plants, and sources of protein like insects and snails. Once everyone is settled, they quiet down, fluff out their feathers, and prepare to snooze through the night. The sitting arrangement can change from day to day! Sometimes squabbles break out, but macaws rarely physically injure each other. ![]() Shortly before or after dusk, macaws all take wing again to return to their roosting site, where they call to each other to figure out who sits where. In fact, macaws fly as far as 15 miles (24 kilometers) each day to feed. They feast until midday, when they settle down for more preening and "chatting," then forage more in the afternoon. Then, as a group, they fly up out of the trees to journey to the day’s feeding grounds, often traveling quite a long distance to a grove of trees with ripe fruit. They usually wake before dawn, preening their feathers and calling to one another, perhaps communicating where they are and what they plan to do next. Macaws live in pairs, family groups, or flocks of 10 to 30, which helps give them protection from predators like large snakes and birds of prey. One of the outstanding natural sights in Mexico and Central and South America is a large flock of colorful macaws bursting up from the forest canopy in flight. Their calls can be quite earsplitting to humans! Macaws can also imitate sounds, and macaws that live with or near humans often repeat words they hear, practicing to themselves until they get it right. They do it to make contact with one another, to define territory, and even as part of their play. Most macaws like to take baths, and they play in the water as they splash around. They can do impressive damage to even very hard wood with their beaks. Macaws are also big chewers, something they need to do to keep their beaks in good shape. They examine the objects from different angles, moving them with their feet, testing them with their tongue, and tossing them around. Macaws have been known to use items as tools, and they like to play with interesting objects they find. As social birds, they spend a lot of time interacting with their mates and their family groups. They are very aware of their surroundings, which is necessary to keep watch for predators. Macaws are intelligent and curious birds that like to explore and keep busy. Most macaws nest in holes of trees or in earthen banks and cliff sides. When they come in for a landing, they drop their tail and feet downward and use their wings like brakes to slow down before grasping a perch with their feet. Macaws are adapted for flying through the trees in the forest, with a streamlined body and tail shape and wings that don’t flap deeply. They are also famous for their bright colors, which seem bold and conspicuous to us but actually blend in well with the green leaves, red and yellow fruits, and bluish shadows of the forest homes. Loud, screeching and squawking voices help make their presence known in dense rainforests. Their strong, agile toes are used like hands to grasp things. ![]() Their large, strong, curved beaks are adapted for crushing nuts and seeds. What makes a macaw? Macaws are king-sized members of the parrot family and have typical parrot features.
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