Macaws are brightly-colored, long-tailed tropical birds found in the jungles of tropical and subtropical America. They belong to the parrot family and have the brilliant red, blue, yellow, and green feathers, loud screaming voices, and large arched bills typical of that group of birds.
Macaws, who usually live in pairs, have long lives. Some have been known to live over one hundred years. They are temperamental birds with unusual abilities. When captured young, they may be taught to imitate words and obey commands. However, when captured as adult birds, macaws as often vicious and not easily trained. In the jungle, macaws eat palm fruit, seeds, and nuts which they crack with their large and powerful beaks. In captivity they are fed oats, canary seed, corn, crackers, sliced carrots, turnips, and tomatoes. One of the most beautiful macaws is the red and blue macaw, which is brilliantly colored in scarlet red, pale blue, and chrome yellow.
