Red-shouldered macaw
Diopsittaca nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is a species in the family Psittacidae, order Psittaciformes. Recorded adults weigh 145.5 g to 156.5 g and live up to 22.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the red-shouldered macaw
- Weight
- 145.5 g – 156.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 22.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 24 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the red-shouldered macaw live?
Not recorded
What is the red-shouldered macaw?
The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is a small green South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest macaw, being 30 cm (12 in) in length – similar in size to the Aratinga parakeets. It is native to the tropical lowlands, savannahs, and swamplands of Brazil, the Guianas, Bolivia, Venezuela, and far south-eastern Peru. There are three subspecies: The noble macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis cumanensis), Hahn's macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis nobilis), and the long-winged macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis longipennis). The long-winged macaw is a poorly distinct third subspecies that has longer wings, but is otherwise similar to the noble macaw. The Hahn's subspecies is named for German zoologist Carl-Wilhelm Hahn, who in 1834 began compiling Ornithologischer Atlas oder naturgetreue Abbildung und Beschreibung der aussereuropäischen Vögel (Engl: Ornithological Atlas or natural depiction and description of birds from outside Europe).
Red-shouldered macaws are frequently bred in captivity for the pet trade, where they are sometimes described as mini-macaws.
Though wild populations of red-shouldered macaws have declined locally due to habitat loss, they are listed as Least Concern by IUCN. They are listed on Appendix II of CITES, and trade is restricted.
From the Wikipedia article “Red-shouldered macaw” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-shouldered_macaw&oldid=1382734459), 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 red-shouldered macaw endangered?
The red-shouldered macaw is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the red-shouldered macaw classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittacidae
- genusDiopsittaca
- SpeciesDiopsittaca nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Ara nobilis, Psittacus nobilis
Other names and names in other languages (37)
- Northern red-shouldered macawEnglish
- Northern red-shouldered macawEnglish
- Малък гвиански араBulgarian
- guacamai noble septentrionalCatalan
- ara červenoramennýCzech
- Blåpandet DværgaraDanish
- ZwergaraGerman
- Blaustirn-ZwergaraGerman
- Grauschnabel-ZwergaraGerman
- ruĝaŝultra araoEsperanto
- Guacamayo nobleSpanish
- Guacamayo noble norteñoSpanish
- väikeaaraEstonian
- pikkuaraFinnish
- Ara nobleFrench
- Conure nobleFrench
- mala araCroatian
- északi törpearaHungarian
- kékhomlokú törpearaHungarian
- Ara spallerosseItalian
- コミドリコンゴウインコJapanese
- raudonpetė araLithuanian
- RoodschouderaraDutch
- dvergaraNorwegian
- epoletówkaPolish
- Maracanã-nobrePortuguese
- arara-d'ombros-vermelhosPortuguese
- maracanã-pequenaPortuguese
- Малый араRussian
- Синелобый малый араRussian
- ara modročeláSlovak
- Patuljasta plavočela araSerbian
- rödskuldrad araSwedish
- Al Omuzlu AraTurkish
- ара червоноплечийUkrainian
- 紅肩麥鷍Chinese
- 红肩金刚鹦鹉Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the red-shouldered macaw
Other species in the same family Psittacidae.
Blue-and-yellow macaw
Ara ararauna
Grey parrot
Psittacus erithacus
Scarlet macaw
Ara macao
Red-and-green macaw
Ara chloropterus
Hyacinth macaw
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
Blue-throated macaw
Ara glaucogularis
CompareRed-shouldered macaw vs Blue-and-yellow macawRed-shouldered macaw vs Grey parrotRed-shouldered macaw vs Scarlet macawRed-shouldered macaw vs Red-and-green macaw
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the red-shouldered macaw?
An adult red-shouldered macaw weighs 145.5 g – 156.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the red-shouldered macaw endangered?
The red-shouldered macaw is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the red-shouldered macaw live?
The red-shouldered macaw has a recorded lifespan of 22.9 years.
What kind of animal is the red-shouldered macaw?
The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-macaw
“Red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-macaw.
@misc{red_shouldered_macaw_2026,
title = {Red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-macaw},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}