Review and images by Sam; edited by bmathison1972
The blue and gold macaw (Ara ararauna) is one of the world’s most popular parrots. These beautiful birds come from Central and South America and the Caribbean, and are a resident in the countries of Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Their ecological niche is to disperse seeds across the rainforests to help more trees and plants grow. They are the most commonly kept species of macaw in captivity, a popular attraction in zoos, aquariums, bird shows, and of course as pets. They are currently listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List, but habitat destruction for development and agriculture and the illegal exotic pet trade pose a threat to the species. Today’s review is of Safari Ltd.’s version of the blue and gold macaw, I bought from our friends at Happy Hen Toys. I highly recommend Happy Hen Toys to anybody who is interested in animal replicas; their diverse collection of animal replicas is something for everyone. Now onto the review! Safari Ltd.’s blue and gold macaw was made from the same mold as their green-winged macaw, which has been reviewed on this site before, but they did not just do a lazy repaint. The macaw is both anatomically and color accurate, with lots of attention to detail packed into one small replica.
I have named my macaw “Cutrale,” after the orange juice company, which I have a deep interest in. This individual is sculpted with a uniquely dynamic pose; he is sculpted to look as if he is in flight, and his beak is sculpted open to look as if he is squawking. He has beautiful blue and yellow feathers, hence the common name of his species, a green forehead, and a black throat patch.
Cutrale’s face is white, with black stripes around his eyes, which are formed by tiny feathers. He has white eyes with black pupils. His beak is painted with a shiny black paint. Since his beak is open in that “squawking” position, his tongue is visible, and there is a tiny bit of red inside of his mouth as well.
His wings are sculpted accurately and with a lot of detailing. They are light blue at the top, and fade into a darker blue towards the bottom and edges. There is also a subtle curve to his wings, mimicking a flight motion. He has long, dark blue tailfeathers. Microdetailing engraved into each feather gives them a realistic texture.
On the underside, Cutrale is a strikingly bright yellow, with more detailing on his wings. His species name and copyright information is engraved on his belly, but are not overly intrusive like I have seen on most other animal toy figures, thus failing to break the immersion.
Finally, his feet are sculpted correctly as well, with zygodactyl feet, which are used for climbing and holding fruits and nuts as they eat. His talons are nice and prominent.
Overall, in my opinion, this is probably the most accurate replica of the species, slightly edging out Papo’s representation, which I also own. I highly recommend this model to anybody who loves birds, or needs a feathered addition to their South American diorama. With his dynamic flying pose, this beautiful bird will be a lovely addition to your rainforest menagerie.