Birds diurnal

Great Green Macaw

Ara ambiguus

The Great Green Macaw is the emerald giant of the Central American rainforest. With its massive wingspan and booming voice, this critically endangered parrot is a rare and spectacular sight for any wildlife watcher.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length of 85–90 cm (33–35 in); wingspan of approximately 110 cm (43 in); weight around 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs).

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Colors

Lime green body plumage, bright scarlet forehead patch, pale blue lower back and rump, tail feathers reddish-orange with blue tips.

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Key Features

Massive black bill designed for cracking nuts
Brilliant scarlet patch on the forehead
Extremely long tail with reddish-orange and blue hues
Vibrant lime-green body plumage

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern diurnal

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Peak hours 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM

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Season Year-round, with peak visibility during the Almendro fruiting season (December to April).

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Diet Specialized feeder focusing on seeds and fruits, most notably the extremely hard nuts of the Almendro (Dipteryx oleifera) tree.

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Habitat Wet tropical forests, humid lowlands, and occasionally deciduous forests or forest edges.

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Behavior

The Great Green Macaw is a highly social and intelligent parrot, typically found in pairs or small family groups that can coalesce into larger flocks of up to 50 individuals during the non-breeding season. They are famous for their loud, raucous vocalizations, which include deep, guttural squawks and growls that can carry for miles across the rainforest canopy. These sounds are essential for maintaining contact with their mates as they fly over the dense vegetation.

In Costa Rica and Nicaragua, their lives are intricately tied to the life cycle of the Almendro tree. They are 'food nomads,' following the fruiting seasons of specific trees across their range. While they are wary of humans and usually stay high in the canopy, they can become quite bold near reliable food sources, often returning to the same trees day after day to feed on hard-shelled nuts.

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Camera Tips

Capturing the Great Green Macaw on a trail camera is a unique challenge because they are almost exclusively canopy-dwellers. To get a successful shot, you must move your camera off the ground. Using a pulley system or a climbing harness to mount your camera 20 to 50 feet up in the mid-canopy is the best strategy. Target 'emergent' trees—those that stick out above the rest of the forest—especially if they are known food sources like the Almendro or nesting sites in hollowed-out trunks.

Because these birds are often in flight or moving quickly between branches, camera settings are vital. Use a 'High' trigger sensitivity and, if your camera allows, set the shutter speed to at least 1/500th of a second to avoid motion blur. Video mode is often more rewarding than stills for this species, as it captures their complex social behaviors and distinctive loud calls. Set your video length to 20-30 seconds to capture the full arrival or departure of a pair.

Position your camera to face away from the sun (North or South) to prevent the bright tropical light from washing out their vivid green colors. The best time for recording is the first two hours of daylight when they leave their roosts. If you are on a slope or ridge, you can often place a camera at eye level with the canopy of trees growing further down the hill, giving you a 'bird's eye view' without having to climb as high.

As these birds are critically endangered, ethics are paramount. Never place a camera too close to a nesting cavity (stay at least 15-20 feet away) to avoid stressing the parents. Avoid using white-light flashes at night, as this can disorient the birds; use 'No-Glow' or Black IR LEDs if you are monitoring a site 24/7. Finally, look for 'chewed' nuts on the forest floor as a sign that macaws are feeding above before committing to a camera placement.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Great Green Macaw.

Military Macaw

Smaller and a darker shade of green; the Military Macaw also lacks the yellowish tint in the wings seen in the Great Green Macaw.

Scarlet Macaw

Instantly distinguishable by its bright red body and yellow wing coverts, whereas the Great Green is predominantly lime green.

Frequently Asked Questions

Great Green Macaws are most active in the early morning shortly after sunrise (around 6:00 AM) and in the late afternoon before they return to their roosting sites. During the heat of the midday sun, they often remain quiet and still in the shaded parts of the canopy.

Attracting them to a backyard is only possible if you live within their specific range in Central or South America. The best way is to preserve or plant their favorite food sources, specifically the Mountain Almond (Almendro) tree. They generally do not visit traditional bird feeders.

Their diet consists almost entirely of seeds and nuts found in the forest canopy. They have incredibly powerful beaks that allow them to crack open the rock-hard shells of Almendro nuts, which most other animals cannot eat.

No, they are quite rare in suburban environments. They are forest-dependent specialists that require large tracts of primary tropical forest to survive. However, they may be seen flying over rural areas or forest edges when traveling between feeding grounds.

While very similar, the Great Green Macaw is significantly larger and has a much paler, yellower shade of green plumage compared to the darker, forest-green of the Military Macaw. Additionally, the Great Green Macaw has a larger, more massive bill.

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