Scarlet macaws are big birds — their body is about the size of a large hen, and their long tail adds another 50 centimetres. When a pair flies over the rainforest canopy calling to each other in loud, raspy squawks, they are almost impossible to miss. The sound carries a long way through the trees.
Macaws eat seeds, fruits, and nuts. Their beaks are incredibly powerful — strong enough to crack open the hardest palm nuts that other animals cannot touch. This gives them a food source all to themselves. They also visit riverbanks and cliffs to eat clay, which helps them digest some of the tricky seeds they swallow.
Nesting macaws are very choosy — they use holes in old, tall trees, and they return to the same nest hole year after year. Chicks stay with their parents for a long time, learning which foods to eat and how to find their way around the forest. This long learning period is one reason macaws are so intelligent.
In Nicaragua, scarlet macaws live along the Pacific coast and in the Caribbean lowland forests. They are a protected species, which means it is illegal to keep them as pets or to harm them. Seeing one flash through the canopy in a blaze of red and gold is something visitors never forget.