# 11 Amazing Facts About the Hyacinth Macaw, the Cobalt Giant of the Pantanal

*Pantanal, Brazil · JUN 20 2026*

> The Hyacinth Macaw is the world's largest flying parrot — a cobalt-blue, roughly one-metre-long Brazilian bird with a wingspan over four feet and a beak strong enough to crack rock-hard palm nuts, listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

From a beak that cracks rock-hard palm nuts to a wingspan over four feet, here are 11 surprising, source-checked facts about the world's largest flying parrot.

## What are the key takeaways from this briefing?
- The Hyacinth Macaw is the world's largest flying parrot at about one metre long with a wingspan over four feet.
- It is a palm-nut specialist whose powerful beak cracks acuri and bocaiuva nuts almost no other animal can open.
- In the Pantanal it nests almost exclusively in cavities of the manduvi tree, tying breeding to one tree species.
- It can live 30 to 50 years in the wild and over 50 years in captivity, but breeds slowly with just one or two eggs per clutch.
- The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable with roughly 4,300 mature individuals (2021); Brazil reassessed it as Endangered nationally after the 2020 fires.

## 11 amazing facts about the Hyacinth Macaw

Wrapped in brilliant cobalt-blue plumage and standing about a metre tall from beak to tail, the Hyacinth Macaw (*Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus*) is one of the most striking birds on Earth. Here are eleven facts that explain why this Brazilian giant fascinates birdwatchers and conservationists alike.

### 1. It is the largest flying parrot in the world

At roughly one metre (about 3 ft 3 in) from head to tail tip, the Hyacinth Macaw is the longest parrot species and the largest of all macaws. Only the flightless kakapo of New Zealand outweighs it among parrots.

### 2. Its wingspan tops four feet

Spread wide, the wings can exceed 1.2 metres (more than four feet), giving the bird a powerful, unhurried flight across open wetland skies.

### 3. The beak can crack nuts that defeat a hammer

This is a palm-nut specialist. Its enormous curved beak cracks the rock-hard nuts of acuri and bocaiuva palms — a food source almost no competitor can exploit.

### 4. Its tongue has a bone in it

Behind that crushing beak, the dry, scaly-looking tongue contains a small bone and is used to tap and taste food with surprising delicacy.

### 5. It nests in just one kind of tree

In the Pantanal, pairs nest almost exclusively in cavities of the soft-cored manduvi tree (*Sterculia apetala*), a tight ecological link that ties breeding success to a single tree species.

### 6. It can live for decades

Hyacinth Macaws commonly live 30 to 50 years in the wild, and individuals in human care have passed 50 years of age.

### 7. Pairs raise very few chicks

Clutches hold only one or two eggs, incubation lasts about a month, and chicks do not fledge until roughly 110 days old — making the species slow to recover from any loss.

### 8. Its stronghold is the world's largest tropical wetland

Most of the global population lives in Brazil's Pantanal, with smaller numbers in the dry Cerrado and along the southern Amazon fringe.

### 9. It is not naturally aggressive — but the bite is formidable

These birds are gentle toward people by nature, yet their beak is among the most powerful of any parrot, so a bite can cause serious injury.

### 10. CITES gives it the strictest possible trade protection

Listed on CITES Appendix I, commercial international trade in wild Hyacinth Macaws is banned — a response to the trapping that once devastated wild numbers.

### 11. It is recovering, but still vulnerable

The IUCN classifies the species as Vulnerable, estimating around 4,300 mature individuals in 2021 with a declining trend. Brazil reassessed it as Endangered nationally after the 2020 Pantanal fires.

For the full profile — taxonomy, range maps and conservation detail — see our [Hyacinth Macaw species guide](/wildlife-guides/hyacinth-macaw/). Protecting this bird is mostly about safeguarding nest trees and palms; our partner-funded work in Brazil helps keep that field monitoring going, and you can [support the parrot and macaw appeal](/appeals/parrots/) if you'd like to help.

**[Read the full Hyacinth macaw wildlife guide](/wildlife-guides/hyacinth-macaw/)** for the facts, IUCN status and conservation context — or **[donate to WARN](/donate/)** to help fund the local partners protecting this species.

## What do people ask about this briefing?
### What makes the Hyacinth Macaw special?
It is the largest flying parrot in the world, with brilliant cobalt-blue plumage, a wingspan over four feet, and a beak powerful enough to crack the hard palm nuts that make up most of its diet.

### How many Hyacinth Macaws are left?
The IUCN's 2021 assessment estimates around 4,300 mature individuals (roughly 6,500 birds in total), with a declining population trend. Most live in Brazil's Pantanal.

### Are Hyacinth Macaws endangered?
The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable globally. After the catastrophic 2020 Pantanal fires destroyed nesting trees, Brazil reassessed it as Endangered at the national level.

## Which sources does this briefing use?
- [IUCN Red List — Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22685516/93077457)
- [BirdLife International — Hyacinth Macaw factsheet](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/hyacinth-macaw-anodorhynchus-hyacinthinus)
- [Wikipedia — Hyacinth macaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_macaw)

Human-readable page: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/hyacinth-macaw-11-amazing-facts/