Chestnut-fronted macaw

Thechestnut-fronted macaw orsevere macaw (Ara severus) is one of the largest of themini-macaws. It reaches a size of around 45 cm (18 in) of which around half is the length of the tail.

Chestnut-fronted macaw

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Genus:	Ara
Species:	A. severus
Binomial name
*Ara severus* (Linnaeus,1758)
Subspecies
A. s. severus A. s. castaneifrons

Synonyms
Psittacus severusLinnaeus, 1758

They can be found over a large part of NorthernSouth America fromPanama south intoAmazonian Brazil and centralBolivia. A feral population is found inFlorida.

Their lifespan is listed as anything from 30 to 80 years of age.^{[citation needed]}

Taxonomy

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The chestnut-fronted macaw wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae. He placed it with all the other parrots in thegenusPsittacus and coined thebinomial namePsittacus severus.^[2] This macaw is now one of the eight extant species placed the genusAra that was erected in 1799 by the French naturalistBernard Germain de Lacépède.^[3]^[4] The genus name is fromará meaning "macaw" in theTupi language of Brazil. The word is anonomatopoeia based on the sound of their call. The specific epithetseverus isLatin meaning "grim", "cruel" or "stern".^[5] The species is considered to bemonotypic: nosubspecies are recognised.^[4]

Description

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in northeastern Ecuador showing red on underside of tail

The chestnut-fronted or severe macaw is mostly green in colour with patches of red and blue on the wings. The head has a chestnut brown patch just above the beak. The beak is black and the patches around the eyes are white with lines of small black feathers. It is the only one of the miniature macaws that has lines of feathers in the bare patches around its eyes. In the wild their typically gregarious personality can become more aggressive at puberty giving them the name Severe. This tendency can be curbed in captivity but the species requires significant handling to make a tame pet. It is 45–50 cm (17.5–19.5 in) long and weighs 300–410 g (11–14 oz).

Breeding

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The chestnut-fronted macawnest in a hole in a tree. The eggs are white and there are usually two or three in a clutch. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days, and the chicksfledge from the nest about 70 days after hatching.^[6]