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A blue-throated macaw with a blue back and yellow chest perched in a tree.
Photo: Ted, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Blue-Throated Macaw

Ara glaucogularis

The rarest macaw in the world, a blue-and-gold parrot of Bolivia's flooded Beni savanna with only about 400 left in the wild.

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About the Blue-Throated Macaw

Blue-throated macaws live only in Bolivia, in the Beni savanna, a flooded grassland dotted with islands of Motacú palm trees. In Spanish they're called barba azul, "blue beard," for their blue throats. They eat mostly Motacú palm fruit, plus seeds, nuts and leaves. They nest in holes in dead palms that were hollowed out by grubs.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Ara glaucogularis[1]
Lifespan
Up to 50 years.[1]
Diet
Mostly Motacú palm fruit, plus seeds, grains, nuts and leaves.[1]
Habitat
The Beni savanna, a flooded savanna with islands of palm trees.[1]
Where it lives
Two areas of Bolivia, north and south of the city of Trinidad.[1]
Group life
Small groups of 10 or fewer. Pairs mate for life.[1]
Babies
Nests in hollow palm trees. Chicks fly at 13 to 14 weeks and stay with their parents up to a year.[1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021). About 400 left in the wild.[1][2]

Fun facts

  • In Spanish this macaw is called barba azul, meaning "blue beard."[1]
  • It is considered the rarest macaw in the world.[1]
  • Blue-throated macaws are the main seed spreaders of the Motacú palm.[1]

Vocabulary

macaw
A large, long-tailed parrot from Central and South America.
seed disperser
An animal that spreads seeds by eating fruit and dropping the seeds elsewhere.
savanna
A warm, grassy area with scattered trees.
ecosystem
All the living things in an area and how they depend on each other.
critically endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Blue-throated Macaw.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/blue-throated-macaw/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Ara glaucogularis (Blue-throated Macaw).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22685542/196624397 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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