macaw

American  

[muh-kaw] / məˈkɔ /

noun

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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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”

Example Sentences

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

The modest back house has been home not just to Ruiz but her husband and son, the couple’s four dogs and two tropical birds — Ludina the macaw and Sofia, a white cockatoo.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2023

The animal is a parrot, a sociable macaw named Eureka.

From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2023

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

Turquoise, macaw and parrot feathers, seashells, obsidian, flint, and animal hides were among the many items traded among all the peoples who were part of this trade network.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz