Party Parrots at Montecasino Bird Park.

Party Parrots!
Macaws and White Cockatoos 

Macaws are just so beautiful and the ones I managed to take photographs of did not disappoint. Such show-offs, and immensely entertaining birds. They just could not wait to pose for me! 

I found out that the macaw is actually one of the largest species of parrot in the world. The average adult macaw growing to more than a meter in height, that is unbelievable!.

 The macaw is well known for its array of exotic and brightly coloured feathers, which are often a kaleidoscope  of many different colours including blue, red, yellow and green.

Depending on where you source your information it is reported that there are 16-17 different species of them in existence.

 They have these gorgeous and stunning long tails which are as long as or even longer than their bodies. Their wings are long and pointed to enable them to fly swiftly with such grace and elegance, they are a  joy to watch!.

Macaws have sharp, hooked beaks which are made for eating nuts, fruits, and seeds. The beak is large and powerful and we watched as they used their beaks to break open nut pods with such ease.  

 

Like other species of parrot, macaws have four toes on each foot, with two toes facing forward and two toes facing backward. This foot adaptation helps the macaw to grip onto prey and tree branches more easily and allows the macaw to perch in the trees without slipping off. We found one hanging upside down on his perch; he was too quick for me to get a good photograph of him and I am sure he was laughing at me!. 

Macaws are known to be intelligent and very sociable birds. They can often be seen together in large flocks of up to 30 of them.  They will communicate between one another using loud vocal calls such as squawking and screaming. Some species of macaw are even known to be able to mimic (copy) human sounds. The ones at the Bird park certainly gave us an idea of how loud they can be and one was copying my son when he was “talking” to him.

The beautiful macaws are actually native to Central and South America, living in the canopies and emergent layers of the rainforest. I found it so interesting that they like to nest in holes in trees, something I did not know about them and thought was really awesome!.

 I was very sad to find out that Macaws are on the endangered species list because their numbers are declining due to rainforest destruction and people capturing them for pets.

The macaw is an omnivorous bird and it feeds on nuts and fruit in the trees along with insects, eggs and small mammals and reptiles. 

The macaw is known to sleep during the night meaning that the macaw is a diurnal animal, and in its natural habitat in the morning it will often fly long distances in order to find food.

Another interesting fact about the macaws, is that they are known to have the same breeding partner for their whole lives. Macaw couples do not only breed together but they also share their food and help to groom one another. When the female macaw has laid her eggs, normally 2 or more, the female macaw will sit on her eggs, incubating them while the male macaw hunts and collects food for them both. The macaw chicks take about a month to hatch.

Macaws have been hunted over time by local tribesmen for their brightly coloured feathers. The macaw however, is also widely respected and even appears on the one of the Brazilian bank notes.

 The White Cockatoo or Umbrella Cockatoo!!

  The white cockatoo (Cacatua alba) is a medium sized, all white cockatoo endemic to the tropical rainforests on the islands of Indonesia. When its surprised (which seems to be often!) it will extend its large and striking head crest, which has a semicircular shape similar to that of an umbrella, hence its alternative name, the umbrella cockatoo. The undersides of the wings and tail are a pale yellow or lemon colour which flashes when they fly.

 It is similar to other species of white cockatoos like the yellow-crested cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockatoo, all of which have a yellow, orange or pink crest feathers instead of white. 

It is fairly large and grows to around 46 cm long, and weighs about 400 g ( small females) and up to 800 g ( big males). The male white cockatoo has a much broader head and bigger beak than its female counterpart.  

The cockatoos have either brown or black eyes with a dark grey beak. I found this interesting, that when mature some female white cockatoos can have reddish/brown irises, while the irises of the adult male are dark brown or black. The ones we came across were live wires and thoroughly entertaining and had boundless energy!

The feathers of the white cockatoo are mostly white. However, both upper and lower surfaces of the inner half of the trailing edge of the large wing feathers are a yellow colour. The yellow colour on the underside of the wings is most notable because the yellow portion of the upper surface of the feather is covered by the white of the feather immediately medial (nearer to the body) and above. 

The areas of the larger tail feathers that are covered by other tail feathers – and the innermost covered areas of the larger crest feathers – are a stunning yellow. Short white feathers grow from and closely cover the upper legs. This is awesome and quiet unbelievable, but the feathers of this species and others create a powder similar to talcum powder that easily transfers to your clothing.

Common with other cockatoos and parrots, the white cockatoo has the typical zygodactyl feet with two toes facing forward and two facing backward, which enable them to grasp objects with one foot while standing on the other, for feeding and manipulation.

Whilst the maximum lifespan of the white cockatoo is poorly documented; a few zoos report that they live 40–60 years in captivity. Anecdotal reports suggest it can live longer. Lifespan in the wild is unknown, but believed to be as much as ten years less.

 In the wild the white cockatoos feed on berries, seeds, nuts, fruit and various roots. When nesting they will add insects and insect larvae to their diet.

  Like all cockatoos, the white cockatoos nest in the hollows of large trees. They will usually produce two white eggs. During incubation (28 days), both the female and male take turns to incubate the eggs.  The larger chick become  more dominate over the smaller chick and takes more of the food (Eish shame man!!)  The chicks leave the nest 84 or so days after hatching. It will take them about 15-18 weeks to become independent from their parents. It will take a further 3-4 years for the juveniles to reach sexual maturity.

Photographs taken with my Nikon Coolpix L820

I really enjoyed taking these. The colours really came out so well and the parrots were easy subjects keeping still long enough to get some really cool shots.

Keep on finding your adventures!!

Warmest

Adventurekim.com