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Hello all,

I'm new to this site but in general I stay on or near the cockatiel forum, as that's the only species I am owned by (so far!) But I have a question, completely out of curiostity, about macaws, and who better to ask than all of you!

Why is it that all of the different macaw species are actually separate species rather than just color mutations of one or a few general macaw species?

Hmm that's worded a little strangely, bear with me...

What I mean is, cockatiels for example come in a variety of color mutations but all belong to the same species. Does anyone know why Scarlet macaws and Green-Winged macaws, for example, are not two different mutations of the same species? What else is different about them that makes them two separate species?

You might try to get Forshaw's PARROTS OF THE WORLD, to see the range of each specie on a map.
1. Physical differences and separate ranges is one criteria for listing the birds as separate species. Scarlets and green-wings have different proportions and facial markings, as well as separate ranges.
2. 2 populations living in the same area or overlapping ranges, but rarely interbreeding, is another indication of speciation, such as blue&golds and greenwings.
3. The commonly known macaws might have similar diets in captivity, but their actual feeding habits might be different in their natural habitat.
4. The degree of differentiation varies between species. Actually, this is not an "exact science." For example, in the area that I am more familiar,
Triton cockatoos and eleanora cockatoos are listed as subspecies of Galerita, but they actually share the same habitat without interacting !

This thread touches on how one species differs from another: viewtopic.php?t=20492&highlight=species