CreatureData

Lear's macaw

Anodorhynchus leari Bonaparte, 1856

ENEndangeredparrots

The lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari) is a species in the family Psittacidae, order Psittaciformes. Recorded adults weigh about 940 g and live up to 38.3 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari)
Photo: Miguelrangeljr · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the lear's macaw

Weight
940 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
38.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the lear's macaw live?

Not recorded

What is the lear's macaw?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari), also known as the indigo macaw, is a large all-blue Brazilian parrot, a member of a large group of neotropical parrots known as macaws. It was first described by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856. Lear's macaw is 70–75 cm (27+1⁄2–29+1⁄2 in) long and weighs around 950 g (2 lb 2 oz). It is coloured almost completely blue, with a yellow patch of skin at the base of the heavy, black bill.

Although there are records of the macaw from Britain from the early 1830s, this bird was only generally recognised as an independent species in the late 1970s. It is rare with a highly restricted native range, which was only discovered in 1978, although intensive conservation efforts have increased the world population about thirtyfold in the first two decades of the 21st century. It inhabits a dry desert-like shrubby environment known as caatinga, and roosts and nests in cavities in sandstone cliffs. It mostly feeds on the nuts of the palm species Syagrus coronata, as well as raiding maize from local farmers. Its ecology also appears linked to cattle ranching.

From the Wikipedia article “Lear's macaw” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lear%27s_macaw&oldid=1382312368), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the lear's macaw endangered?

The lear's macaw is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the lear's macaw classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPsittaciformes
  5. familyPsittacidae
  6. genusAnodorhynchus
  7. SpeciesAnodorhynchus leari Bonaparte, 1856
Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • Indigo macawEnglish
  • Indigo macawEnglish
  • ماكاو ليرArabic
  • ماكاو نيليArabic
  • Ара ЛеараBulgarian
  • Индигов араBulgarian
  • guacamai de LearCatalan
  • ara kobaltovýCzech
  • macaw indigoWelsh
  • IndigoaraDanish
  • LeararaGerman
  • Lear-AraGerman
  • indiga araoEsperanto
  • Leara papagoEsperanto
  • Guacamaya añilSpanish
  • Guacamayo CobaltoSpanish
  • Guacamayo de LearSpanish
  • indigo-siniaaraEstonian
  • مکائو لیرPersian
  • Ara de LearFrench
  • Guhaa de LearFrench
  • ארת ענק לירHebrew
  • kobaltasta araCroatian
  • kis jácintaraHungarian
  • kobaltkék araHungarian
  • Ara indacoItalian
  • コスミレコンゴウインコJapanese
  • mažoji mėlynoji araLithuanian
  • Изи гиацинт араWestern Mari
  • Shádiʼááhdę́ę́ʼ tsídii yáłtiʼí dootłʼizhgo bízdílidígííNavajo
  • Lears AraDutch
  • ara błękitnaPolish
  • modroara błękitnaPolish
  • نیلا میکاعWestern Panjabi
  • arara-índigoPortuguese
  • arara-azul-de-learPortuguese
  • arara-azul-pequenaPortuguese
  • Индиговый араRussian
  • Малый гиацинтовый араRussian
  • ara kobaltováSlovak
  • Mala plava araSerbian
  • கருநீல ஐவண்ணக்கிளிTamil
  • Lear ArasıTurkish
  • ара синійUkrainian
  • 靛藍麥鷍Chinese
  • 李爾氏金剛鸚鵡Chinese
  • 青蓝金刚鹦鹉Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lear's macaw

Other species in the same genus Anodorhynchus.

CR, Critically Endangered
Glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus)

Glaucous macaw

Anodorhynchus glaucus

Psittacidae

CompareLear's macaw vs Hyacinth macawLear's macaw vs Glaucous macaw

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lear's macaw?

An adult lear's macaw weighs 940 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lear's macaw endangered?

The lear's macaw is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the lear's macaw live?

The lear's macaw has a recorded lifespan of 38.3 years.

What kind of animal is the lear's macaw?

The lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari) belongs to the family Psittacidae in the order Psittaciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lear-s-macaw

MLA

“Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lear-s-macaw.

BibTeX
@misc{lear_s_macaw_2026,
  title = {Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lear-s-macaw},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}