Spend 14 minutes with a hyacinth macaw, the world’s largest flighted parrot. This informative Home Safari video from The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden features 18-year-old Rio, who is not only large and beautifully blue but whose species is known for having the largest and strongest beak in the parrot world. Program trainer Dustin explains:
“Rio’s beak can exert a force of 1,200 pounds per square inch… it can crack open the hardest of rainforest nuts. Think macadamia nuts, extremely hard. He can crack through them. Even coconut shells, they can crack through… To put this into perspective… a human bite force is only as strong as 150 pounds per square inch.”
The engaging video is chock full of macaw information and includes answers to viewer questions like “can this parrot sing?” and “is it endangered?” We also get to see him fly toward the camera for a treat.
More about hyacinth macaws from Wikipedia:
The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), or hyacinthine macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about one meter (3.3 ft) it is longer than any other species of parrot. It is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species, though the flightless kakapo of New Zealand can outweigh it at up to 3.5 kg. While generally easily recognized, it could be confused with the smaller Lear’s macaw. Habitat loss and the trapping of wild birds for the pet trade have taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild, so the species is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List…
Related reading: Zygodactyl toe arrangement.
Related videos include The Kakapo: The world’s only flightless parrot is a very rare bird.
Plus, watch more videos from the Cincinnati Zoo:
• The “Laughing” Kookaburra
• Baby Gorilla Gladys at the Cincinnati Zoo
• Baby hippo Fiona’s never-before-seen moments
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