Ara parrot

Aryas are the real stars among parrots! They are the largest and most colourful parrots that live in the rainforests of South and Central America. The ara family has as many as 15 different species!

Appearance of Ara parrots

Ara are large parrots. Together with their long, sword-like tails, they can reach lengths of up to 98 centimetres! That's almost a metre, or like the length of a small broomstick! Imagine how cool it would be to have such a big and beautiful tail.

Ara look like a rainbow that can fly! Some Ara have wings coloured bright blue and golden yellow, while others have green and red wings. But there are some Ara that are completely blue, like a bright summer sky. Smaller species of Ara are not so bright, their feathers are usually coloured in different shades of green.

Ara are easy to recognise - they have huge hooked beaks that other parrots don't have. They also have small areas of tiny feathers around their eyes and beak, almost like soft skin. This makes their faces even more expressive and unique. All in all, aryas are really special parrots!

What parrots eat

Ara parrots love to eat all sorts of delicious things. Their favourite treats are seeds, nuts and fruits that they find in the jungle. They can even use their powerful beaks to crack the hard shells of nuts.

Ara family

When it comes time to start a family, Ara parrots become very caring. They choose a mate and stay with them for life. Typically, Ara parrots build their nests high up in trees where they feel safe.

The mum parrot lays her eggs in the nest and the dad parrot helps her look after them. They take great care of their little chicks. The chicks stay with their parents until they learn to fly and find food on their own. So Ara parrots are not only beautiful, but also very caring parents!

Another interesting thing about Arahs is that they are very intelligent and social birds. They love to socialise and play with other birds, and can even learn to repeat words and sounds they hear!

But you know what's even more amazing? Aryas can live for a very long time. They can live up to 80-90 years! That's almost as long as some grandparents live. Just think how many adventures and funny moments they can have over such a long time!