The military macaw (Ara militaris) is a large parrot and a medium-sized macaw that gets its name from its predominantly green plumage resembling a military parade uniform. It is native to forests of Mexico and South America and though considered vulnerable in the wild, it is still commonly found in the pet trade industry. Taxonomy The military macaw was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus militaris. Linnaeus did not specify a type locality but this was designated as Colombia in 1912. The military macaw is now one of ten parrots placed in the genus Ara which was erected in 1799 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède. The genus name is from ará meaning "macaw" in the Tupi language of Brazil. The word is an onomatopoeia based on the sound of their call. The specif epithet militaris is Latin meaning "military". Three subspecies are recognised: A. m. mexicanus Ridgway, 1915 – west Mexico A. m. militaris (Linnaeus, 1766) – Colombia, northwest Venezuela, Ecuador, north, southeast Peru and northwest Bolivia A. m. bolivianus Reichenow, 1908 – central Bolivia and northwest Argentina Description The military macaw is 70 to 85 centimeters (27.5 to 33.5 inches) long on average, and 99–110 cm (33–43 in) across the wings. Military macaws are mostly green with light blue and yellow flight and tail feathers and a bright red patch on their forehead. Their face is bare and white in color with black striations. The large strong beak is grey-black and the iris is yellow. They greatly resemble great green macaws and are usually distinguished from great green macaws by their smaller size, completely black bill, and overall darker color. They can also be separated by differences in vocalization and the tendency for great green macaws to be a humid forest species while military macaws are usually a deciduous forest species. Phylogenetic studies have shown that the two species are sister clades. The subspecies differ in size and plumage. The difference in size is generally 70–80 cm (28–31 in), with the militaris subspecies being the smallest and the mexicana being the largest. Behavior Military macaws live in large flocks and can live about 50–60 years in the wild. They can often be heard long before they