Green-winged Macaw

Overview

The Green-winged Macaw is one of the largest macaws in South America, built like the more familiar Scarlet Macaw but slightly bulkier and longer-tailed. It ranges through humid lowland and foothill forest from Panama to northern Argentina, often seen in pairs or small flocks flying high above the canopy with slow, deep wingbeats.

Its feathers are prized by collectors for their vivid, saturated red color and the contrasting green wing patch, which separates it at a glance from other large red macaws.

Feather Identification

• Body feathers: Deep, uniform crimson red across the head, neck, chest, and back, without the yellow wing patch seen in Scarlet Macaws.
• Wing feathers: A broad band of green forms across the upper wing coverts, transitioning into blue on the flight feathers and secondaries.
• Tail feathers: Long, tapering, mostly red with blue tips; longer and heavier than most other macaw tail feathers.
• Shaft and texture: Thick, sturdy rachis typical of large parrots; barbs are dense and glossy.
• Compared to similar species: The Scarlet Macaw shows a yellow band between the red and blue on the wing, while Green-winged Macaw feathers go directly from red to green to blue, with no yellow segment.

Plumage Notes

Adults of both sexes look alike, with rich red plumage overall and green-and-blue wings. The bare facial skin is white, crossed by fine lines of small red feathers, a feature unique among the large red macaws and useful for confirming identification even without full feathers present.

Juveniles resemble adults but have shorter tails and slightly duller coloring until their first full molt. Molt is gradual and continuous rather than a single seasonal event, so fresh and worn feathers can be seen on the same bird at once.

Habitat & Range

Found from eastern Panama through much of northern and central South America, including the Amazon Basin, into Paraguay and northern Argentina. It favors humid lowland forest, forest edges, and river corridors, and is a well-known visitor to Amazonian clay licks where flocks gather to feed on mineral-rich soil.

This species is largely non-migratory, though it may move locally in response to seasonal food availability.

Behavior & Field Notes

Green-winged Macaws are typically seen in pairs or family groups, sometimes joining mixed macaw flocks at clay licks. They forage in the forest canopy on a varied diet of seeds, nuts, and fruit, using their powerful bill to crack open tough shells.

They nest in natural cavities in large emergent trees or cliff faces, and pairs form long-term bonds. Their calls are loud, harsh, and far-carrying, typical of large macaws, and are often heard before the birds are seen flying overhead in formation.