Mësim për klasën · Wildlife · 🇧🇷 Brazil

Macaws - the giant parrots of Brazil

Bright blue, yellow, red and green birds that live for up to 60 years

A blue-and-yellow macaw flying with its wings fully spread

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Çfarë është?

Macaws are the biggest parrots in the world. The most famous kinds in Brazil are the bright blue-and-yellow macaw and the gigantic hyacinth macaw, which is almost entirely deep blue. They live in the rainforest and the Pantanal, flying through the trees in pairs or noisy groups.

Më trego më shumë

A macaw's beak is one of the strongest in the bird world. They use it to crack open hard nuts that other birds couldn't even dent - including the Brazil nut. Their tongues are dry and bony, perfect for getting at the soft middle once the shell is open.

Macaws are very clever. They can solve puzzles, use simple tools to reach food, and learn to say words. In the wild they don't really 'talk', but they do call to each other constantly in loud squawks and screeches that can be heard from far across the forest.

Macaws mate for life. They pick a partner when they're young and stay together for as long as they live - which can be 50 or 60 years for the bigger species. You'll often see two macaws flying side by side, their wings almost touching as they go.

Many macaws gather at a special place called a 'clay lick' - a riverbank made of soft, mineral-rich clay. They land in their hundreds at a time, perch on the wall, and nibble the clay. Scientists think the minerals help them digest the bitter fruit and seeds they eat in the forest.

Në klasë

Kaloni këtë me klasën tuaj në 15 minuta.

Bisedoni së bashku

Nxitje për diskutim

  1. 01Macaws live 50 or 60 years - longer than most pets. Why might it help an animal to live a very long life?
  2. 02Their bright colours make them easy to see in the green forest. Why might being easy to see be useful?
  3. 03If you could be any colour - or any combination of colours - what would you choose, and why?
Provoni këtë

Aktivitet për klasën

On A4, design a brand-new species of macaw - your own. Give it three colours, a special name, and a fact about where it lives or what it eats. Display them as a 'macaw flock' across the wall.

Më shumë për Brazil

Gjëra të tjera që e bëjnë Brazil të veçantë

Dëshironi që klasa juaj të takojë Brazil?

Zgjidhni Brazil gjatë regjistrimit dhe do t’ju tregojmë realizueshmërinë e zonës kohore.

Register your classroom