Blue-winged Macaw

It has a total length of approximately 36–43 cm (14–17 in). It has a moderately sized black bill, a long tail and a mainly green plumage. The upperside of the remiges and primary coverts are blue, as indicated by its common name. The underside of the wings is yellowish, the tail-tip, crown and cheeks are bluish, and the tail-base and small belly-patch are red. The iris is amber. It and the red-bellied macaw are the only macaws where the bare facial-skin is yellowish, but this often fades to white in captivity. Unlike the red-bellied macaw, the blue-winged has a red lower abdomen and a red lower back. In the wild, its flight pattern is said to be a distinctive 'jerky, rearing motion.'

The blue-winged macaw occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (with a remnant population north-east), eastern Paraguay and, at least formerly, in far north-eastern Argentina and east of Bolivia. It occurs in evergreen and deciduous forests, with a preference for gallery forest. They mainly feed on seeds of Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus, Jatropha, Guazuma ulmifolia, and the non-native Melia azedarach. However, the birds also feed on fruits and nuts.

The blue-winged macaw is sometimes kept by humans as an aviary bird or companion parrot. An intensely social bird and a strong flier, this macaw does best when housed with other birds (whether other blue-winged macaws or member of a different parrot species) and given plenty of space in which to fly. It is also an avid chewer and may damage its keeper's property unless provided with wooden destructible objects to occupy its time. Captive breeding of this species is encouraged, due to conservation concerns. If kept as a pet, the blue-winged macaw can bond strongly with humans and some individuals may even begin to mirror their owner's emotional state.