Red-headed macaw explained

The red-headed macaw or Jamaican green-and-yellow macaw (Ara erythrocephala) may have been a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae that lived in Jamaica, but its existence is hypothetical.

Description

Rothschild based it on a description which a Mr. Hill had sent to Philip Henry Gosse:

Ara erythrocephala could have been found in the mountains of Trelawney and St. Anne's Parishes, Jamaica.[1] It was described to have been found in the mountains, and presumably in forest as well.[2]

Extinction

It is believed that the main reason for the macaw's extinction was overhunting.[3]

The macaw is extinct,[2] and it is conjectured to have been hunted to extinction in the early 19th century.[4] It was a close relative of the Cuban and Dominican macaws.[4] Its existence is considered dubious today.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ara erythrocephala. The Extinction Website. 22 January 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081013035627/http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/redheadedmacaw.htm. 13 October 2008.
  2. Web site: Jamaican Green-and-yellow Macaw Ara erythrocephala. birdlife. 22 January 2013.
  3. Book: Wiley. James. The extinct macaws of the West Indies, with special reference to Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor. 2013 British Ornithologists’ Club. 137. April 26, 2018.
  4. Web site: Jamaican Green-and-yellow Macaws (Ara erythrocephala). BeautyOfBirds. 22 January 2013.
  5. Book: Hume. J. P.. M.. Walters. 2012. Extinct Birds. A & C Black. 978-1408157251.