macaw

American  

[muh-kaw] / məˈkɔ /

noun

• macaws
  plural

1. any of various large, long-tailed parrots of tropical and subtropical America, noted for their brilliant plumage and distinctive light-colored facial patches: of the six macaw genera, Ara includes the most familiar and greatest number of species, while Cyanopsitta has just one species, C. spixii Spix's macaw, a small, blue macaw, now classified as possibly extinct in the wild.

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macaw British  

/ məˈkɔː /

noun

1. any large tropical American parrot of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus, having a long tail and brilliant plumage

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• macaws
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of macaw

First recorded in 1620–30; from Portuguese macao, macau, probably from macaúba from Tupi macahuba, equivalent to maca “palm” + ybá “tree”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

macaw macaws

He bought an acre of his grandfather’s farmland with a $10,000 student loan, built a barn with an apartment and rescued a macaw named Cisco and umbrella cockatoo named Andrew to bring to children’s parties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

But then Death visits — literally, in the form of a talking macaw — and Zora must confront the end of everything she holds dear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

Last year, two Spix’s macaw chicks were born in freedom — the first ones in decades— but they didn’t survive.

From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024

Mango the macaw flew out of a window at the site in Great Barr, Sandwell, following a clap of thunder on Sunday.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2023

His dæmon, a macaw, lifted a foot and scratched her head.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Spix's macaws, a Brazilian blue parrot extinct in the wild -- as featured in the 2011 Disney film "Rio" -- were transferred from Germany without Brazil's required consent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Kynren's blue and yellow macaws can say "all right" and "goodbye"

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Parrots and macaws that had outlived their owners squawked in a giant aviary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

This region shelters not only migratory songbirds but also jaguars, tapirs, and scarlet macaws.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025

With that precaution they tried to postpone the necessity of having to eat macaws, whose blue flesh had a harsh and musky taste.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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