| Endangered Species: Blue and Gold Macaw |
A Christiansburg Elementary Project
Submitted by Maddie of Christiansburg Elementary School
Christiansburg, VA, U.S.A.
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| Blue and Gold Macaw
Photographer Unknown |
Why Study This Topic?
I want to know what kind of food the Blue and Gold
Macaw eats. Where it likes to make nests. I also would like to know how
many babies it might have, and what might cause the bird to take ill or
even die. The reason I want to know about the Blue and Gold Macaw, is because
we might need to know what we can do to save the bird from extinction.
especially sense the Blue and Gold Macaw already endangered.
What Was Already Known
I already knew that the Blue and Gold Macaw was endangered.
I knew that it lived in various places in South American Rainforests. The
feathers of the Blue and Gold are very long and colorful. It has a strong
beak, to eat it's favorite kind of foods. Berries, nuts, and seeds are
all things the Blue and Gold Macaw likes to eat. I think the reason the
Blue and Gold Macaw is endangered is because it's habitat is being destroyed.
I think that another reason is because they're getting caught in the wild
and taken from their habitat. And they are being used as pets and believe
me somebody would have to be crazy to buy two of those noisy birds. See
that's the problem, nobody buys them in pairs so they don't have mates,
and they can't proceed to breed.
Search for Information
I looked at Alta Vista, in Net Search, on the Internet
for the Blue and Gold Macaw. I found some web sites there. I looked at
the Public Library for books on the Blue and Gold Macaw. I found quite
a few things on the bird and Rainforest Destruction. I also looked in quite
a few encyclopedias they didn't help me to much. I encountered quite a
few problems. For one thing the our school has a small a small server so
it takes a while for the Internet data to load. And I don't have the Internet
on my computer so that's one problem I encountered. I also had a little
trouble finding the Blue and Gold Macaw in books, but everything else was
fine.
Description of Plant or Animal
The Blue and Gold Macaw's color is of course blue
and gold. The wings, back, rump, and tail feathers are blue. It's forehead
is a blue green color. It's face is white with pink cheeks. Besides that
everything is gold (yellow). The Blue and Gold Macaw is about 34 in. in
length. But the bird can come in various sizes, it all depends on it's
age. The macaw like the parrot and cockatoo can imitate the human voice.
That is only one amazing fact that I learned. On TV cartoons they have
pirates and they have a parrot on the pirate's shoulder and the pirate
talks to the pirate. The only fictional thing about that is the pirate
doesn't say any thing to the parrot. Well there is no way that, that could
happen. They can only imitate the human voice they can't say stuff on their
own unless, they have something to hear and imitate first.
Habitat Requirements
The Blue and Gold Macaw likes to eat nuts, berries,
and fruits, such as apples. They also drink water and get juices from the
fruits they eat. They live from Eastern Panama to Northern Paraguay, in
the most remote places in the forest. When they are breeding, they often
use the same large tree cavity as the year before. Sometimes the Macaw
will breed in the same nest where he was born. If the Macaw is kept as
a pet, he must be housed in a very large cage, or an out door aviary. Tame
macaws may be kept on stands or wooden posts. When choosing a home for
your macaw, keep in mind that they are very, noisy, especially during breeding.
Adaptations
The Blue and Gold Macaw's (all macaws) biggest predator
is man and his destructive machines. The Blue and Gold Macaw (all macaws)
is a very loud bird. It has long tail and wing feathers. Macaws have very
big beaks, and can dish out a very painful bite. The Blue and Gold Macaw's
scientific name is Ara Ararauna (Linne').
Reasons for Endangerment
The main reason the Blue and Gold Macaws are disappearing
is because their habitat is being destroyed. Every single day. Their population's
are declining. The thing responsible man and his machines. Slash-and-Burn
Farmers clear the forests to plant their crops. Ranchers clear the forests
to provide a grazing area for their cattle. Wait 'till you hear this it's
outrageous, the Loggers clear the land just, to extract the timber. Before
long their won't be any rainforests to cut down. We'll all die along with
them, because the trees hold our oxygen supply. The more trees we cut down
the more chances of us becoming endangered. Before the destroying came
along the birds and other animals roamed freely in their territory not
bothering anyone. Running playing doing things their way. Playing anywhere
they pleased in the forest. Then man came and destroyed the animal's habitat.
Then the animals moved back to the most remote parts of the rainforest.
Restoration Actions
Some of the things we can do to help save the Blue
and Gold Macaw and all the other animals is recycle. If you look at cereal
boxes, packs of paper, cardboard boxes, and many other things. You might
see a little symbol for re-cycle on it. That means that it was made of
re-cycled paper. Buy that instead, of the Non-recycled stuff you see. So
that way we don't cut down so many trees. Another thing we could do is
re-cycle ourselves. That would be a big start.
What Was Learned
The things I learned about the Blue and Gold Macaw
is that the it isn't all blue and gold. It's for head is a dark blue-green.
It's wings, back, rampant tail feathers are blue. His face is white with
pink cheeks. All of the Blue and Gold Macaw's under parts are gold. It
has a very big beak, that's used for eating the nuts that have hard shells.
It can get to be about 34 in. in length and a bit larger. The size can
vary depending on age or it may be a runt. The Blue and Gold Macaw lives
in the South American Rainforests from Eastern Panama, to Northern Paraguay.
In the most remote parts of the forests. When the Macaw starts breeding
it often uses the same tree cavity as the year before. Or just as well
it might use the same nest that he was born in.
Conclusions From Research
At first I thought that the macaw was a parrot, but
I learned through my reseach that it wasn't. It was actually a relative
to the parrot. There are many different kinds of macaws. They're all very
similer to the Blue and Gold Macaw. Except for size, color, and where they
might live. But all Macaws are loud, need the same living and breeding
space. They're all very uneasy when breeding, so they're all practicly
the same. So I think through my research on the Blue and Gold Macaw, I've
learned about most of the Macaws.
Bibliography
BOOKS I USED:
- Matthew, Dr. and Vreinds, M. (1993) Popular
Parrots Publisher: Howell Book House Inc. New York, N.Y
. -Alderton, David (1992) Parrots Publisher: U.S.A.
Tetra Press
-Durrel, Gerald (1987) The Handbook of Avricuture
Publisher: in the U.K. by Blandford Press
-Lewis, Scott (1990) The Rainforest Book Publisher:
in U.S.A. Living Planet Press
-Grahl, W. (1984) The Parrot Family Publisher:
in USA New York,N.Y.
Internet Sights I Used: -http://aloha.net/~granty/bluegold.htm
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here for more information on the Blue and Gold Macaw!
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Christiansburg Elementary |
Last updated on April 22, 1998
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