Thered-fronted macaw (Ara rubrogenys) is aparrotendemic to a small semi-desert mountainous area ofBolivia. It is acritically endangered species; it has been successfully bred in captivity, and is available, if not common, as a pet. It is also sometimes known in the literature asLafresnaye's macaw, named for the French ornithologistFrédéric de Lafresnaye, who was one of the first to describe the species.^[3]

Red-fronted macaw
AtTulsa Zoo, Oklahoma, USA
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Genus:	Ara
Species:	A. rubrogenys
Binomial name
Ara rubrogenys Lafresnaye, 1847

The red-fronted macaw is 55–60 cm (21.5–23.5 in) long. It is mostly green, and has a red forehead, a red patch over the ears and bright red to orange edged under wing coverts. It has an area of pinkish skin around the eyes extending to the beak. It has red at the bend of wings and blue primary wing feathers.

The red-fronted macaw is native to a small mountainous area of south-centralBolivia situated about 200 km west ofSanta Cruz, in the department of the same name, where the climate is medium altitude semi-desert. The natural vegetation consists mostly ofcactus (large and small) andthornytrees and scrub. Theclimate is semiarid with cold nights and hot days. Rain comes in infrequent heavy storms. It is unusual in that it is the only macaw to inhabit such a climatic zone. Most macaws nest in holes in large trees, however here there are no very large trees in its range so it nests in verticalfissures in cliff faces.^[4] The bird has been captured for the pet trade in the past and killed by local farmers because it raids their crops.

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  Upper body
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  Head
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  Side –Jurong BirdPark, Singapore
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  Wing clipped
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  In the air
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  Flying

• Red-fronted macaw videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Stamps^[usurped] (forBolivia)
• Red-fronted macaw photo gallery VIREO
• Wild macaws (Bolivia section)
• 1840s illustration by P. Oudart