Blue-headed Macaw (Primolius couloni)

Identification & Behavior: ~45 cm (18 in). The Blue-headed Macaw has a blue head, wings, and tail. The bill is pale. Unlike most other macaws, it has no bare skin on the sides of the head. The iris is noticeably pale. It is one of the three medium-sized macaws. The blue head and pale iris are diagnostic. Also, see the White-eyed Parakeet.

Status: The Blue-headed Macaw is generally uncommon in the south half of the Peruvian Amazon. It appears to be somewhat associated with the foothills of the eastern Andes where it ranges at elevations of up to 1500 m. It also occurs in Br and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Guacamayo de Cabeza Azúl.

Sub-species: Blue-headed Macaw (Primolius couloni), P. L. Sclater, 1876.

Meaning of Name: Primolius: a tribute to Count Pietro Primoli di Foglia (1820-1883), son of the French ornithologist Prince Charles Bonaparte. couloni: in honor of Paul Louis Coulon (1804-1894) Swiss naturalist.

See more of the Family Psittacidae