Macaw Families

  All macaws share the same physical characteristics. They all have long tails, slim bodies, and broad heads.

Today there are 17 living species of contained in 4 genera:
Genus Ara: The most easily recognizable of the four groups are the large macaws like the Blue and Gold Macaw and the Green-winged Macaw because of their large size and vivid coloration. This genus contains 11 of the 17 species and most of the pet macaws come from this group and the Diopsittaca group. The remaining species of the genus Ara are birds that should not be considered as pets since they are very rare and need the attention of breeders in order to survive as a species into the future.
Genus Diopsittaca: The second group contains the Red-shouldered Macaw species (nobilis) which includes the subspecies of the Hahn's Macaw, the Noble Macaw, and the Long-winged Macaw. (These birds are often listed under the genus Ara)
Genus Anodorhynchus:The third group contains the Hyacinth (hyacinthinus), the Glaucous (glaucogularis), and the Lear's or Blue (leari) Macaws.
Genus Cyanopsitta: This fourth genus contains only one species, the very rare Spix's (spixii) Macaw.

There are 11 species in what are considered the large Macaw

• - Blue and Gold
• - Blue-throated
• - Buffon's
• - Glaucous
• - Green-winged
• - Hyacinth

• - Lear's or Blue
• - Military
• - Red-fronted
• - Scarlet
• - Spix's

There are six species in what is called the Mini-Macaws

• - Blue-headed
• - Illiger's
• - Severe
• - Red-bellied
• - Red-shouldered (Inc: Hahn's, Noble, Long-winged)
• - Yellow-collared

  See Hybrid Macaws for pictures of different types of hybrids
and to learn which breeding combination makes up each of these.