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Writer's pictureSandra Witt

Meet Larry...


Larry is a golden-collared or yellow-collared macaw (Primolius auricollis). This is a small, mostly green, Central South American parrot that is a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots known as macaws. He has a bright yellow patch on the back of his neck/upper shoulders that gives the species its name. In aviculture, this is one of a number of smaller macaws often called "mini-macaws."

Larry has a slight scissor beak that we're working on. Notice in this first photo his feet were pale and swollen when he came to the rescue. This picture shows him out of his cage, cleaned up, and on the play tree. Since then, we have totally changed his diet and, as you can see in the second photo, Larry's feet are much better and he is now getting new feathers. He loves his time out of his cage and is settling in very nicely.

This species has a total length of about 38 cm (15 in) of which almost half is tail feathers. The general plumage is green, with a distinct yellow collar that is broadest on the back of the neck. The yellow collar develops as the bird ages, with more vibrant colors found in mature birds. The front and crown is brownish black; the remiges (from the Latin for "oarsman" which are located on the posterior side of the wing) and primary coverts are blue. The long, pointed tail has a red base, a narrow green center and a blue tip. The underside of the tail and flight feathers are greenish-yellow, similar to that of several other small macaws such as the blue-winged and red-bellied macaw. The legs are a dull pinkish color, and the iris is reddish to dull yellow. It has extensive bare white facial skin and the heavy bill is black, often tipped pale grey.

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