AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Blue-and-Yellow MacawAra ararauna

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 47 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Ara ararauna (blue-and-yellow macaw). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysriverbank clay licks to eat soil
The source saysthey consume clay found at riverbanks
The page saysMainly rainforest, swamps, and riverside areas across South America, from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay
The source sayscan be found throughout subtropical and tropical forests, woodlands, and savannas in South America from Venezuela to Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay ... found mainly in rainforests in swampy and riparian areasNote: ADW also names Mexico in this range; no other cached source supports it and the account is old, so it is left out
The page saysMainly seeds, nuts, and fruit
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws mainly eat seeds, nuts, and fruits.
The page saysplus clay eaten at riverbanks
The source saysthey consume clay found at riverbanks
The page saysadults measure 81 to 91.5 centimeters long
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws are from 81 to 91.5 cm long, weigh from 0.9 to 1.8 kg, and have a wing span of 104 to 114 cm.Note: ADW's data field gives the same range as 81.28 to 91.44 cm
The page saysspan more than a meter of wing
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws are from 81 to 91.5 cm long, weigh from 0.9 to 1.8 kg, and have a wing span of 104 to 114 cm.
The page saysweigh up to 1.8 kilograms
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws are from 81 to 91.5 cm long, weigh from 0.9 to 1.8 kg, and have a wing span of 104 to 114 cm.Note: 1.8 kg is the top of ADW's 0.9 to 1.8 kg range
The page saysIn the wild they typically live 30 to 35 years
The source saysTypical lifespan Status: wild 30 to 35 yearsNote: ADW's prose also says the wild lifespan 'can be up to 50 years'; that record rests only on this old account (and on a student guide citing a 1983 pet book), with no current source, so it is not on the page
The page saysBlue-and-yellow macaws are extremely wary
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws are extremely wary
The page saysHarpy eagles, hawk eagles, and orange-breasted falcons attack them while they are in flight
The source saysKnown predators include harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja), hawk eagles (Nisaetus cirrhatus) and orange-breasted falcons (Falco deiroleucus) that attack while the birds are in flight.
The page saysat any sign of danger the macaws fly into the air screeching loudly
The source saysat any sign of danger they fly into the air screeching loudly
The page saysrange across tropical South America, from Venezuela and Colombia south to Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, and in Central America they are restricted to Panama
The source sayscan be found throughout subtropical and tropical forests, woodlands, and savannas in South America from Venezuela to Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay ... restricted to Panama in Central AmericaNote: ADW also names Mexico; left out because no other cached source supports it and the account is old
The page saysliving mostly in rainforest, swamps, and land near rivers
The source saysfound mainly in rainforests in swampy and riparian areas
The page saysTheir day-to-day diet is mainly seeds, nuts, and fruit
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws mainly eat seeds, nuts, and fruits.
The page saysin some cases they also eat clay found at riverbanks
The source saysIn some cases, they consume clay found at riverbanks
The page saysBlue-and-yellow macaws form monogamous pairs that mate for life and breed about every one to two years
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws form monogamous pairs that mate for life. ... they breed about every 1 to 2 years.
The page saysThey form monogamous pairs that mate for life
The source saysBlue-and-yellow macaws form monogamous pairs that mate for life.
The page saysFemales lay two or three eggs and incubate them for 24 to 28 days, the young hatch blind and featherless, and fledglings are independent within three months
The source saysFemales lay 2 to 3 eggs and incubate them for 24 to 28 days, after which the young hatch blind and featherless. ... Within 3 months fledglings become independent.
The page saysWhen a pair flies, their wings almost touch
The source saysWhen in pairs, they fly close together with their wings almost touching.
The page saysa pair in flight stays close enough that their wings almost touch
The source saysWhen in pairs, they fly close together with their wings almost touching.
The page saysweightKg: 1.4
The source saysRange mass 900 to 1814 gNote: task #601; the midpoint of ADW's only stated mass range, rounded. The whole range is inside the engine's Light class (0.1 to 10 kg), so the figure cannot move the class, and the bird tag already put it there.

Source
02

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Macaw. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysLike other macaws, it has a dry, slightly scaly tongue with a bone inside it, which makes it a tool for breaking open and eating food
The source saysA macaw's tongue is dry, slightly scaly, and has a bone inside it, which make it an excellent tool for breaking open and eating food.Note: San Diego Zoo's page covers macaws as a group, not this species, so the sentence is scoped with 'like other macaws'
The page saysOne long-standing idea is that the soil neutralizes toxic chemicals the birds might eat in seeds or unripe fruits
The source saysScientists believe the soil may neutralize any toxic chemicals the birds might eat in seeds or unripe fruits.Note: San Diego Zoo states this at macaw scope and hedges it ('may'); the page gives it as an idea, not a finding
The page saystrapping for the pet trade is a major factor in macaw population declines
The source saystrapping for the pet trade is a major factor in macaw population declinesNote: San Diego Zoo states this at macaw scope, which is how the sentence is worded

Source
03

UWI St. Augustine, The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago

Ara ararauna - Blue-and-yellow Macaw. UWI St. Augustine, The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago.

The page sayscrushes nuts and seeds in its beak
The source saysThe beak is used to crush open seeds and nuts
The page saysA beak strong enough to crush open nuts and seeds
The source saysThe beak is used to crush open seeds and nuts ... Tremendous pressure is exerted on seeds and nuts with their beak.
The page saysThe beak crushes open seeds and nuts and doubles as a spare "third foot" when climbing, and to get into a very hard nut, macaws use the lower part of the beak to file down the thickness of the shell
The source saysThe beak is used to crush open seeds and nuts (Fig. 3) as well as a “third foot” when climbing. ... In order to crack open very hard nuts, macaws uses the lower part of the beak to file down the thickness of the shell.Note: the filing sentence is worded at macaw scope in the source, so the page keeps 'macaws' there
The page saysIt crushes open seeds and nuts and doubles as a spare 'third foot' for gripping branches while climbing, and to get into a very hard nut, macaws use the lower part of the beak to file down the thickness of the shell
The source saysThe beak is used to crush open seeds and nuts (Fig. 3) as well as a “third foot” when climbing. ... In order to crack open very hard nuts, macaws uses the lower part of the beak to file down the thickness of the shell.

Source
04

Bertin et al. 2018

Bertin et al. (2018). Facial display and blushing: Means of visual communication in blue-and-yellow macaws (Ara Ararauna)? PLOS ONE.

The page saysblushes red
The source saysblushing can be observed (rapid colour variation from white to red)
The page saysbare cheeks that blush red
The source saysblushing can be observed (rapid colour variation from white to red)
The page saysIts bare white cheek patch can flush from white to red
The source saysblushing can be observed (rapid colour variation from white to red)
The page saysas blood moves through the skin
The source saysBlushing is reported in 12 different avian orders based on blood flow in vascularized tissues
The page saysIn a study of five captive macaws
The source saysTable 1 Age, sex and location of the 5 captive macaws used for the study.
The page saysobservers judged blushing present more often in photographs taken while a familiar keeper was actively engaging with a bird than in ones from a control phase with no interaction
The source saysWith the animal caretaker, crown ruffling was significantly more frequent when the caretaker was actively engaging with the parrot than during a control phase with no mutual interaction. In addition, a significantly higher proportion of naïve observers judged blushing as being present on photographs taken during the mutual interaction phase than during the control phase.Note: the 'mutual interaction phase' is the phase in which the familiar animal caretaker was actively engaging with the parrot, as the sentence before it in the same abstract describes
The page saysThe same birds ruffled the feathers on their crown more often during that one-on-one attention
The source sayscrown ruffling was significantly more frequent when the caretaker was actively engaging with the parrot than during a control phase with no mutual interaction
The page saysBlushing like this is not reported in the red-and-green macaw, a species that shares its range
The source saysfacial blushing is not reported in sympatric species of blue-and-yellow macaws like the red-and-green macaws (Ara chloropterus)
The page saysthe bare skin on its face runs from white to red in a rapid color change
The source saysblushing can be observed (rapid colour variation from white to red)Note: vibe.reason, task #601; replaces "the undisputed queen of 90s pop energy in the Amazonian canopy" and "instantly recognizable anywhere on Earth". Band, song and genre unchanged.
The page saysobservers judged blushing present more often in photos taken while a keeper was engaging with the bird one on one
The source saysa significantly higher proportion of naïve observers judged blushing as being present on photographs taken during the mutual interaction phase than during the control phaseNote: vibe.reason, task #601.

Source
05

Baños-Villalba et al. 2017

Baños-Villalba et al. (2017). Seed dispersal by macaws shapes the landscape of an Amazonian ecosystem. Scientific Reports.

The page saysblue-and-yellow macaws and two other macaw species are the main dispersers of the large-seeded motacú palm, the dominant tree of those savannas
The source saysthree macaws (Ara ararauna, A. glaucogularis and A. severus) are the main dispersers of the large-seeded motacú palm Attalea princeps, which is the biomass-dominant tree in the Bolivian Amazonian savannas.
The page saysthe macaws carried 75 to 100 percent of its fruits up to 1,200 meters to perching trees, ate the pulp, and discarded the seeds whole, contributing to forest regeneration
The source saysMacaws dispersed fruits at high rates (75-100% of fruits) to distant (up to 1200 m) perching trees, where they consumed the pulp and discarded entire seeds, contributing to forest regeneration and connectivity between distant forests islands

Source
06

Powell et al. 2009

Powell et al. (2009). Parrots Take it with a Grain of Salt: Available Sodium Content May Drive Collpa (Clay Lick) Selection in Southeastern Peru. Biotropica.

The page saysa study of 18 parrot clay licks, or collpas, in southeastern Peru found their soils averaged four times more available sodium than uneaten control soils
The source saysSoils from 18 parrot collpas ('clay licks') in southeastern Peru averaged four times more available sodium than uneaten control soils.
The page saysclay content on its own was not linked to how much sodium a soil held
The source saysclay content was uncorrelated with available sodium content.
The page saysits authors conclude parrots may select and ingest soils based on available sodium content
The source saysParrots may select and ingest soils based on available sodium content.

Source
07

Lee et al. 2014

Lee et al. (2014). Diet and Geophagy Across a Western Amazonian Parrot Assemblage. Biotropica.

The page saysA separate survey of the region's parrots placed the large macaws at the primary-forest end of a dietary axis
The source saysplaced the large macaws (Ara) with the Amazona parrots at the ‘primary forest’ end of a dietary resource axis and four smaller species at the ‘successional forest’ end of the axis
The page saysfound the smaller species feeding on regrowing, successional forest visited clay licks more often
The source saysthese parrot species consuming successional forest resources had higher claylick visitation rates than those consuming primary forest resources

Source
08

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018

Ara ararauna. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22685539A131917270.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).
The page saysThe species is listed as Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.