Bird Album
Red-shouldered Macaw
Diopsittaca nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
32 cmLength151 gWeight
The smallest macaw, it has green body feathers and develops red feathers along the leading edge of the wing at sexual maturity.
Busiest months: September–October · Most records: Brazil, Guyana, Suriname
How to identify
Field marks
- Bright green overall, head dark blue above bill
- Leading edge of wing red at sexual maturity, more conspicuous below
- Eyes orange, bare skin around the eye white
- Tail long and narrow, head large
Male, female and young
Red feathers along the leading edge of the wing develop only at sexual maturity.
Voice
Calls sound more like shrieks than whistles.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: September–October · Most records: Brazil, Guyana, Suriname
Red-shouldered Macaw has been recorded at 109 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Jardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroBrazil887 records
- Georgetown Botanical GardensGuyana836 records
- Parque IbirapueraBrazil744 records
More places
- Santo André – Parque CentralBrazil696 records
- Jardim da AmazôniaBrazil533 records
- Instituto ButantanBrazil457 records
- Aquidauana – Pousada AguapéBrazil356 records
- RPPN Pedra D'AntasBrazil355 records
- Alto Paraíso de Goiás – área urbanaBrazil339 records
- PN Chapada dos Guimarães – Pousada do ParqueBrazil334 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is a small green South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest macaw, being 30 cm (12 in) in length – similar in size to the Aratinga parakeets.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Red-shouldered Macaw?
The Red-shouldered Macaw is about 32 cm long and weighs around 151 g.
Where does the Red-shouldered Macaw live?
Its breeding range: South America: Amazonia and south-central. It is most often recorded in Brazil, Guyana and Suriname.
When is the best time to see the Red-shouldered Macaw?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September and October (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Red-shouldered Macaw endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Red-shouldered Macaw as Least Concern.
What does the Red-shouldered Macaw eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Red-shouldered Macaw in?
It belongs to the family African & New World Parrots (Psittacidae), order Parrot (Psittaciformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 32 cm
- Weight
- 151 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 173 mm
- Tail
- 151 mm
- Bill
- 30 mm
- Tarsus
- 17 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: Amazonia and south-central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Parrot Psittaciformes
- Family
- African & New World Parrots Psittacidae
- Genus
- Diopsittaca
More from the family African & New World Parrots
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Yellow-fronted ParrotPoicephalus flavifrons
Brown-necked ParrotPoicephalus fuscicollis
Cape ParrotPoicephalus robustus
Meyer's ParrotPoicephalus meyeri
Rüppell's ParrotPoicephalus rueppellii
Brown-headed ParrotPoicephalus cryptoxanthus
Niam-niam ParrotPoicephalus crassus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes. ↗
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