Scarlet Macaw: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Parrots and Toucans · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Scarlet macaws stay with the same partner for their whole lives.
2. Scarlet macaws can live up to 75 or even 90 years in captivity, though 40 to 50 years is more typical.
3. A female lays two or three white eggs. The chicks fledge at about 90 days and leave their parents about a year later.
4. In May 2013, scientists announced they had decoded the scarlet macaw's complete genome.
5. A scarlet macaw is about 84 cm from beak to tail, and the tail is more than half of that length.

The quiz

1. How long do scarlet macaws stay with their mate?

• One breeding season
• For life (correct)
• Two years
• Until the chicks fledge

Scarlet macaws keep one partner throughout their lives.

2. How long can a captive scarlet macaw live?

• 25 years
• 10 years
• 75 years (correct)
• 15 years

Captive scarlet macaws can reach 75 years.

3. After about how long do the chicks fledge?

• 90 days (correct)
• 30 days
• 60 days
• 120 days

The chicks fledge after roughly 90 days.

4. When did scientists announce the scarlet macaw's complete genome?

• May 1993
• May 2003
• May 2023
• May 2013 (correct)

The complete genome was announced in May 2013.

5. How much of a scarlet macaw's length is its tail?

• About a tenth
• More than half (correct)
• About a third
• Less than a quarter

The tail makes up more than half of its length.

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