The sun came out midday today. What a nice treat. I had a nice walk around Harbour Green Park and took some photos, but I haven't got to them yet, so I will continue posting these macaw photos from Bloedel.
This is Art, the Blue-and-gold Macaw (Ara ararauna). They are native to South America, and they have a powerful beak for breaking nutshells and for climbing up and hanging from trees (??). It can exert 350+ pounds of pressure per square inch. Wow!
That's a beak I don't want the bird to bite me - I had barbets and shrikes biting me before and I am sure they don't hurt as much as this guy.
Sleeping time.
Don't like the photo session, eh?
And then this is a Red-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus). There is Carmen and Maria in Bloedel, but I am not sure who is this. This species is "considered the most intelligent of all macaws and can blush...the white patches on their face can turn bright red if they get excited!" How interesting!
Another pretty bird!
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2 comments:
The macaws will actually set the point of their beak into the bark or a branch (or stump) of a tree and 'hang' while they bring their feet up to get a grip on the bark to climb higher. Carmen and Maria will do this occasionally on the tree next to their perch. In the wild, macaws have to forage for food and climb through dense canopy foliage to find fruit and nuts. It's fascinating to watch! Beautiful photos! Great work!
That is an amazing adaptation - climb rather than fly through the rainforests! Thanks for sharing the fact, Vicky.
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