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. Macaws live in pairs, family groups, or flocks of 10 to 30, which helps give them protection from …

See flocks of bright macaws fly from destinations across the Zoo—in open air—to The Perch inside the Bicentennial Pavilion. Take a bird’s eye view and meet seven species of macaws! See how many different colors you can spot—and listen firsthand to their loud social calls.

Blue, Scratchy, and Gizmo are three of our beautiful macaws! If you’ve visited the Zoo, you’ve likely met a lot of our more than 900 animal residents. Some animals are easy to spot, but others are often not as easy to see because of their habitat set up, their personalities or their sleep cycles among other things.

Macaws are the largest of the family, ranging in size from about one foot to over three feet and displaying a large variety of vibrant colors. All have long, elegant tail feathers. They are highly intelligent birds with the ability to mimic human speech, learn tricks, and read human emotions.

Blue-throated macaws are one of the most endangered macaw species in the wild. As of 2021, there were an estimated 200 – 300 mature individuals living in a small area of north central Bolivia. Blue-throated macaws are approximately 33 inches long with a wingspan of 3 feet and weighing around 1.5 pounds.

Green-winged macaws are one of the largest macaw species, second only to the hyacinth macaw. These birds are able to eat some poisonous fruits due to their habit of eating river clay, which appears to neutralize the toxins. The green-winged macaw is mostly red, with blue and green wings, a blue tail and gray legs.

Scarlet macaws live in Southern Mexico, Central America, and in South America to the east of the Andes and as far south as Argentina. Macaws serve an important role in their ecosystem by dispersing seeds and nuts throughout their territory. Catching and selling wild macaws illegally is called trafficking. Many of the birds die or get sick.

Blue and gold macaws are social birds that live in large flocks. Each morning they travel from their nesting sites to feeding areas throughout the forest and return before dusk. They are extremely vocal and make a wide variety of noises, including squawks and screams. Their flight is direct and slow with shallow wing beats.

Green-winged macaws, also known as red-and-green macaws, are native to southern Central America and northern South America. They inhabit tropical rainforest. The Maryland Zoo features a green-winged macaw among its Animal Ambassadors, which are introduced to audiences in education programs on and off grounds.

Scarlet macaws are brightly colored birds with feathers ranging in color bands from scarlet on their head and shoulders, to yellow on their back and mid wing feathers and blue on the tips andtail feathers. With their strong wings, they can fly up to 35 MPH. The face has short white feathers that surround the light yellow colored eyes.