Hybrid macaws are the product of cross breeding of more than one species of macaw, resulting in a hybrid. They are often characterized and bred for their unique and distinct coloring, and for this reason, are highly sought after and valued in the exotic pet trade. Macaws are native to tropical North and South America.[1] Hybridization of macaws occurs both in nature and captivity, being one of the few species that can produce viable, fertile offspring unlike many other hybrids produced from crossing different species resulting in sterile hybrids with factors that limit their success of survival[2] (e.g. the liger and mule). Hybrid macaws do not hold any scientific names, and are often labeled by the two macaw species they are produced from (e.g. scarlet macaw × green winged macaw)
There are 19 species of macaw, many of which can produce up to three generations (potentially more) of hybrids. Generation F1, being the most common, has the widest variety of hybrids and are the most popular and well known. Hybrid macaws are also often viable in generation F2 which means they are able to reproduce, unlike generation F3 and later due to a rising rate of sterility. The most popular hybrids include crossing with the blue and gold macaw, military macaw or scarlet macaw. Despite belonging to a different genus, hybrids between the hyacinth macaw and Ara species have also been produced.[3][4]
Because macaw species are able to hybridize and produce viable offspring, scientists study and breed them in captivity to better understand hybridization, and understand their importance in preserving endangered macaw species. A study performed of the hybridization between the last wild Spix's macaw and an Illiger's macaw, provides evidence and important information that could potentially help establish endangered wild populations of the Spix's macaw, demonstrating how vital hybrid macaws are.[5]
^Pranty, Bill; Feinsstein, Daria; Lee, Karen (2010). "Natural History of Blue-And-Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) in Miami-Dade County, Florida". Florida Field Naturalist. 38 (2): 55–62. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
^Miyaki, Christina; Faria, Patricia J.; Griffiths, Richard; Araujo, João C.C.; Barros, Yara M. (2001). "The last wild Spix's Macaw and an Illiger's Macaw produced a hybrid". Conservation Genetics. 2: 53–55. doi:10.1023/A:1011584225656. S2CID 35507002.
Hybridmacaws are the product of cross breeding of more than one species of macaw, resulting in a hybrid. They are often characterized and bred for their...
gold is the most commonly hybridised macaw, and why the hybridising trend took hold among macaws. Common macawhybrids include the harlequin (Ara ararauna...
Catalina macaw, sometimes known as the rainbow macaw is a first generation hybrid between the blue-and-gold macaw and scarlet macaw. As catalina macaws are...
The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends...
The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), or hyacinthine macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the...
of neotropical parrots known as macaws. This macaw is closely related to Lear's macaw (A. leari) and the hyacinth macaw (A. hyacinthinus). In Guaraní,...
The military macaw (Ara militaris) is a medium- to larger-sized macaw, named after its green and red plumage vaguely resembling a military uniform. It...
The great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), also known as Buffon's macaw or the great military macaw, is a critically endangered Central and South America parrot...
The Cuban macaw or Cuban red macaw (Ara tricolor) is an extinct species of macaw native to the main island of Cuba and the nearby Isla de la Juventud....
January 2018. "HybridMacaws & Mutations | Beauty of Birds". "These Are the 21 Types of HybridMacaws". Ottenburghs, Jente. "The Avian Hybrids Project". Avian...
The list of macaws includes 19 species of macaws including extinct and critically endangered species, and does not include several hypothetical extinct...
The Lesser Antillean macaw or Guadeloupe macaw (Ara guadeloupensis) is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw that is thought to have been endemic to...
The Martinique macaw or orange-bellied macaw (Ara martinicus) is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw which may have been endemic to the Lesser Antillean...
blue macaws from open and semi-open habitats in central and eastern South America. It includes two extant species, the hyacinth macaw and Lear's macaw also...
500 individuals in the wild or in captivity: glaucous macaw, Spix's macaw, blue-throated macaw, Puerto Rican parrot, and indigo-winged parrot. The chief...
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