Red-naped macaws
| Red-naped macaws | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Pteroglossus bitorquatus | ||||||||||
| ( Vigors , 1826) |
The red- naped macaws ( Pteroglossus bitorquatus ) is a species of bird in the toucan family. It occurs exclusively in South America. They are very brightly colored birds with red, olive green and yellow plumage. Several subspecies are distinguished.
The IUCN classifies the red-naped macaw as 
(= least concern - not endangered). Exact inventory figures are not available. However, the species is described as relatively common in its range.
Appearance
The body length of adult red-necked macaws is 37 to 40 centimeters. The males of the nominate form reach a wing length between 11.7 and 12.8 centimeters. The tail is between 12 and 14.1 inches long. The beak length is 7.7 to almost 9.0 centimeters. Females tend to be a bit smaller, the most noticeable difference being the significantly shorter beak. Their beak length is 6.6 to 8.2 centimeters.
Adult males of the nominate form are brown-black from the forehead to the neck, the ear covers and the sides of the neck are brown, the upper back is bright red, the back and the lower back are dark green. The trunk is bright red, the upper tail-coverts are dark green. The tail feathers are dark green, the feathers have dark shafts. The chin and throat are dark brown, the color of the chin turns black in some individuals. The throat has a black band at the lower end, adjoined by a pale yellow chest band. The rest of the breast is red feathered with black-greenish feather bases. The chest sides merge into an olive green. The belly and the underside of the tail are yellow. The females are colored similarly to the males, but they either lack black throat coloring completely or are limited to a small region. The top of the head is browner, the yellow chest band is narrower.
The beak is curved and tapering to a point. The upper beak is yellowish, in the subspecies P. b. sturmii , the front half is washed out greenish. In the nominate form and the subspecies P. b. ichenowi whitish in the front half. The tip, however, is blackish. The subspecies P. b. sturmii the lower mandible is colored very variably. There are individuals with a completely black beak, but many have a lower beak with a yellowish tip.
Distribution area
The distribution area of the red-necked macaw is the South American lowlands in the southern Amazon basin. It stretches from the Rio Madeira to the Atlantic coast and the Marajó Island and the Brazilian state of Maranhão . The habitat requirements of the red-necked macaw have so far only been insufficiently investigated. Its occurrence in humid tropical evergreen forests with rich epiphyte growth as well as forests along rivers and in older secondary forests is documented. Along wooded river banks it penetrates into the Cerrado .
Way of life
The red-necked arassari is observed in pairs as well as in small groups. It mainly hangs in the treetops, looking for various fruits. Fruits make up the largest part of its food spectrum. Nothing is known about the reproductive biology of this species.
supporting documents
literature
- Werner Lantermann: Toucans and Arassaris. Filander Verlag, Fürth 2002, ISBN 3-930831-46-5
- Lester L. Short and Jennifer FM Horne: Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides - Ramphastidae, Capitonidae and Indicatoridae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-854666-1
Web links
- BirdLife factsheet on the red-necked macaw
- Pteroglossus bitorquatus onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2013.