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The Blue & Yellow Macaw.
(Ara ararauna.)
The parrot family numbers over five hundred species, and includes parakeets, cockatoos, love-birds and macaws, besides the true parrots. All these possess the typical short and stout parrot beak, with the upper mandible protruding beyond the lower and ending in a sharp hook. The powerful hooked beaks of some of the macaws and cockatoos enable them to extract the kernels from particularly hard-shelled nuts. A remarkable feature is the fact that the upper mandible is hinged to the skull and can be moved at will. The Blue and Yellow Macaw inhabits the tropical regions of S. America.