Costa RIca -- Oh The Macaws!

Probably the first thing you notice when you arrive at Puenta Leona are the macaws. If you don't see them right away, you will definitely hear them. Their raspy squawk lets everyone around know they are present and when other macaws get too close to another's food source, you can definitely hear the squabble.

The scarlet macaws were plentiful in our area. They are found in many places in Central and South America and Costa Rica is one of them. The macaw is a member of the parrot family. It has mostly scarlet colored plumage with light blue accents on its tail and yellow and blue on their wings. They really stick out against the green foliage and are a brilliant sight when they spread their wings to fly.

The macaw can grow to 36 inches and weigh around 2 pounds. They feed on nuts, fruits, seeds, flowers and nectar. They fly in pairs or families and can reach up to 35 mph --which explains why they were so hard to catch in flight.

Monogamous for life, the pair will lay 1-2 eggs during the dry season in the cavity of a tree. The adults will care for the young for up to two years and will not lay more eggs until the young leave the nest.

Macaws can live for up to 40 years. When one of the pair dies, the other dies shortly after.

They are amazing birds and it was a joy to see them in a natural habitat.