Ara is a Neotropical genus of macaws with eight extant species and at least two extinct species. The genus name was coined by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. It gives its name to and is part of the Arini, or tribe of neotropical parrots. The genus name Ara is derived from the Tupi word ará, an onomatopoeia of the sound a macaw makes. The Ara macaws are large striking parrots with long tails, long narrow wings and vividly coloured plumage. They all have a characteristic bare face patch around the eyes. Males and females have similar plumage. Many of its members are popular in the pet trade, and bird smuggling is a threat to several species. Taxonomy The genus Ara was erected by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. The type species was designated as the scarlet macaw (Ara macao) by Robert Ridgway in 1916. 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. For many years the genus contained additional species, but it was split to create three additional genera: Orthopsittaca, Primolius, and Diopsittaca. Orthopsittaca and Diopsittaca are monotypic and are morphologically and behaviourally different, whereas the three Primolius macaws are green and smaller. There are eight surviving species, two extinct species that died out during modern times, and a third extinct species known only from subfossil remains. The last confirmed sighting of the extinct Cuban macaw was in 1864 when one was shot. Nineteen skins of the Cuban macaw are preserved in museums, but none of its eggs have survived. Several hypothetical extinct species of the genus Ara have been postulated based on very little evidence. They may have been distinct species, or familiar parrots that were imported onto an island and later presumed to have a separate identity. Morphology and appearance The Ara macaws are large parrots ranging from in length and 285 to 287 g (10 oz) in weight in the chestnut-fronted macaw, to and in the green-winged macaw. The wings of these macaws are long and narrow, which is typical for species of parrot which travel long distances in order to forage. They have a massive downward curved upper mandible and a patch of pale skin around the eye that extends to base of the beak. The skin patch bears minute feathers