Zoo

The Zoo at Chehaw is home to 234 specimens representing over 73 different species. Enjoy natural, outdoor exhibits including Cheetahs, Black Rhinoceros’, Meerkats, Black Bears, Alligators, and many more, while you stroll through our scenic boardwalks and cypress swamp. Participate in animal feedings and keeper talks every weekend. Chehaw’s African Veldt Ride is free with admission, and will take you through our largest exhibit where seven different species roam in natural herds. The Zoo at Chehaw undergoes regular, thorough investigation to ensure that it has met, and will to continue to meet, ever-rising standards. These standards encompass animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. 

Ara ararauna

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Blue and yellow macaws are common in rainforests in Mexico, Central America and northern South America. They are herbivores. Blue and yellow macaws use their beaks as a "third foot" to help them climb.

Back and upper tail feathers are brilliant blue; the underside of the tail is olive yellow. Forehead feathers are green. Wing feathers are blue with green tips; underwing coverts and breast are yellow-orange. The bare facial area is creamy white with several lines made of small black feathers. The beak is gray-black; the throat black. Eyes are yellow and legs are gray.

Macaw behavior and facts
Their diet consists primarily of fruits, vegetable matter, seeds, nuts, leaves and bark. They also eat clay on exposed riverbank clay licks as a mineral supplement.
Blue and yellow macaws are generally seen in pairs but may form flocks of up to 30 birds. Paired birds fly with wings almost touching. Each morning, they fly from roosting sites to feeding grounds and return just before sunset, flying high above the forest canopy. They do not migrate.
These macaws are extremely wary. At the slightest sign of danger, they rise into the air, screeching loudly.
Their powerful beak crushes seeds and opens nuts. For very hard nuts, the bird uses the lower part of the beak to file down the nut's shell before cracking it open. The thick, fleshy tongue moves the food around as the macaw works on it.
From birth to death
Like other macaws, they are monogamous (having only one mate throughout their life).
The nest is made in a hole near the top of a tall, dead tree. Macaws reuse nest cavities created by woodpeckers.
The female lays 1 to 2 eggs.Incubation: 24 to 26 days by the female, while the male brings food to her.
Hatchlings are blind and nearly naked.Eyes open at 7 to 14 days; after 7 days, the male helps feed the young; both parents regurgitate partially digested food.
Molting begins after the breeding season and lasts several months.


Sexual maturity: 3 to 6 years
Lifespan: 50 years
Vital statistics
Males: 34 to 36 inches long from head to tail feathers, 2 to 3 pounds with a 41 to 45 inch wingspan
Females: 32 to 34 inches long from head to tail feathers, lighter and with a shorter wingspan