Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
Great place to see the hyacinth macaw: Pantanal, Brazil
With its sagacious bearing, the gorgeous hyacinth macaw is bound to make you ecstatic even if you were feeling blue up until you set your eyes on it. It is one of the prettiest parrots you can see and photograph in the Pantanal of Brazil.
This macaw feeds mainly on Brazil nuts from native palms. It has a strong beak to crack hard nuts and seeds and even coconuts. Interestingly, its tongue is smooth and dry with a bone inside it like a tool to tap into fruits. Charles Darwin called it a ‘splendid bird’ with ‘enormous beak’ for this reason.
Both wild and tamed hyacinth macaws are known to have shown limited tool use. This bird is also known to be very even-tempered and calmer than other macaws, which has earned it the name ‘gentle giant’.
The hyacinth macaw is longer than any other species of parrot, is the largest macaw, and the largest flying parrot species, and for all these records it has in its name, it is our Animal of the week!
See this wonderful bird on our ‘The Phantom and the Wetlands‘ Wildlife Photography Tour to Pantanal!