Primolius couloni
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The blue-headed macaw or Coulon's macaw (Primolius couloni) is a macaw native to eastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia (mainly in Pando), and far western Brazil (in Acre). It has a total length of about 41 cm (16 in), making it a member of the group of smaller macaws sometimes known as the mini-macaws, which includes any species of macaw with a total length of 50 cm (20 in) or less. As in all macaws, its tail is long and pointed and the bill is large and heavy.
The specific epithet couloni is in honor of Swiss naturalist Paul Louis Coulon (1804-1894). The blue-headed macaw is 41 cm (16 in) long. It has mainly green plumage (often tinged olive, esp. below) with the head, flight feathers and primary coverts blue. The uppertail has a maroon base, a narrow green center and a blue tip. The undertail and underwing are greenish-yellow similar to that of several other small macaws (e.g. red-bellied and golden-collared macaw). The medium-sized bill is pale greyish-horn with a black base (extent varies, but upper mandible in adults typically appears mainly pale). The iris is whitish with a narrow, often barely visible, maroon eye-ring. Unlike most other macaws, the facial skin... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 8 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-headed Macaw sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 271 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 164th most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-headed Macaw in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in July to October, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-headed Macaw sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Blue-headed Macaw sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%).
Same family: Psittacidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-headed Macaw that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are Blue-headed Parrot (about 40%), Mealy Parrot (about 40%) and Cobalt-winged Parakeet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-headed Macaw is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (271 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
