Description: The stunning Blue and Yellow Macaw can reach a total length of 34 inches and a wingspan approaching four feet. Males and females are largely deep blue with yellow underparts and a green forehead. The face is white and bare, and the massive bill is hooked and black. The bill is used to crack open nuts and to help the bird climb from branch to branch. Blue and Yellow Macaws have dark blue feathers on the chin, and black streaks of feathers between the eye and the bill.

The Blue and Yellow Macaw is a very sociable bird and travels in small to medium-sized flocks of up to 100 birds in the wild. Like other macaws, the Blue and Yellow is a popular pet and many have been taken from their natural habitats illegally and sold for thousands of dollars. Macaws are demanding pets and require significant time and attention, a large enclosure that enables them to stretch their wings, lots of toys for them to chew on, and a tolerance for loud screeching noises.

Diet: The Blue and Yellow Macaw feeds on wild fruit, large seeds and nuts (including the seeds of the Hura crepitans Tree , and sometimes buds.

Habitat/Range: The Blue and Yellow Macaw is found in swampy rainforests, forests of medium density, or treed savannas, from southern Central America through the Amazon regions of northern South America.

Breeding: Blue and Yellow Macaws nest high above the ground in tree cavities. Females will lay 2 or 3 eggs after an incubation period of about a month. The parents will only feed the strongest chick, the others will starve. After about ten weeks, the young macaws will have developed their characteristic plumage and will leave the nest after about three or four months.

Status:Though not officially considered a threatened species, populations of Blue and Yellow Macaws continue to decline in the wild through parts of their range. Hunting, the illegal pet trade, and deforestation have contributed to the decline. Nevertheless, the Blue and Yellow Macaw can still be found in considerable numbers in parts of its range.