Golden-collared Macaw

This is a medium-sized psittacine characterized by its vibrant green plumage and a total body length of 37 to 39 centimeters, with an average weight ranging between 250 and 280 grams. Its most diagnostic morphological feature is a bright golden-yellow collar that wraps around the hindneck, which becomes increasingly prominent and vivid as the individual matures. The forehead and crown display a dark blackish-brown coloration, contrasting sharply with a prominent, bare white facial patch. The primary wing feathers exhibit a striking metallic blue hue, whereas the long, pointed tail features a reddish-brown base that transitions into a bright blue tip. The bill is robust, hooked, and primarily dark greyish-black with a conspicuously lighter horn-colored tip, and its zygodactyl feet are pale pinkish-flesh colored, separating it from other similar macaws with grey feet.

Geographical distribution: This species is native to the interior of South America, occupying an extensive range across several ecozones. It is widely distributed across central-western Brazil (predominantly in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul), northern and eastern Bolivia (including Beni, Santa Cruz, and Tarija departments), northern Paraguay (specifically the Gran Chaco region), and extreme northwestern Argentina (within the provinces of Jujuy and Salta). This distribution showcases its ability to colonize transitional biomes between open and forested areas.

Habitat: It primarily frequents semi-deciduous forests, gallery woodlands, gallery forests, wooded savannas such as the Cerrado, and seasonally flooded grasslands of the Pantanal. While it avoids the interior of dense, unbroken Amazonian rainforests, it is highly adapted to forest edges, secondary growth, clearings, and agricultural lands that retain patches of mature native vegetation. It ranges from lowland plains near sea level up to moderate elevations of approximately 600 meters, always showing a strong preference for habitats in close proximity to major river systems and permanent water sources.

Feeding: It is a generalist herbivore with a diet based on seeds, fleshy fruits, nuts, flowers, and tender leaf buds from a wide variety of native trees, especially palms (Arecaceae) and members of the Fabaceae family. Its powerful beak is adapted to crack open hard shells of nuts to access the nutrient-rich kernels inside. Furthermore, it regularly visits exposed clay cliffs along riverbanks, known as clay licks or colpas, where it consumes mineral-rich soil to detoxify plant compounds ingested from unripe seeds and to supplement its daily sodium and mineral requirements.

Behavior: Highly social and loud, this bird is usually observed flying in stable monogamous pairs or small family groups of three to four individuals. During the non-breeding season, however, it can gather in large communal flocks of up to one hundred individuals at favored feeding sites or shared roosting trees. Its flight is direct and rapid, accompanied by continuous, harsh, metallic calls used to maintain group contact. It is highly agile when foraging, using its beak as a third limb to climb and manipulate fruits among thin branches in the canopy.

Nesting: The breeding season typically extends from August to December, aligning with the onset of the rainy season when food resources become abundant. As a monogamous species, it nests solitarily inside natural tree cavities or hollows previously excavated and abandoned by woodpeckers. The female lays a clutch of two to four white eggs and is responsible for the incubation process, which lasts about 26 days, while the male provides food and guards the nest area. The altricial chicks are cared for by both parents through regurgitation and remain in the nest for about ten weeks until they fledge and develop full flight capabilities.

Conservation status: It is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its extensive geographic range and stable populations within large protected areas in Paraguay and Brazil. Nevertheless, regional populations face localized threats from habitat fragmentation caused by cattle ranching and agricultural expansion, which reduces the availability of mature trees for nesting. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, as historical capture for the international pet trade has impacted wild populations, although current trade is strictly regulated.