Lesser Antillean Macaw

The Lesser Antillean Macaw or Guadeloupe Macaw (Ara guadeloupensis) is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw, which may have been endemic to the Lesser Antillean island of Guadeloupe. In spite of the absence of conserved specimens, many details about the Lesser Antillean Macaw are known from several contemporary accounts. In addition, a few contemporary illustrations are thought to depict the bird. It is therefore one of the best documented species of hypothetical extinct bird. Austin Hobart Clark named the species based on these accounts in 1905. A parrot ulna from the island of Marie-Galante was assigned to the species in 2001, but this identification has since been disputed.

According to contemporary descriptions, the body was red, and the wings were red, blue and yellow. The tail feathers were 18 or 15–20 in (45.7 or 38.1–50.1 cm) long. Apart from the smaller size and all red colouration of the tail feathers, it resembled the Scarlet Macaw of tropical South America. It may therefore either have been a close relative of that species, or possibly captive specimens of it which had escaped on the island. The diet was fruit, including those of the poisonous Manchineel tree. It was monogamous, nested in trees, and laid two eggs twice a year. It was described as being abundant on Guadeloupe by early writers, but was becoming rare by 1760, and only survived in uninhabited areas. It is thought to have been eradicated due to hunting by humans, and perhaps by disease, shortly after.

The Lesser Antillean Macaw is one of thirteen extinct macaw species at times thought to have lived in the Caribbean islands. Many of these species are now considered dubious, only two are known from physical remains, and there are no extant endemic macaws there today. Macaws were frequently transported between the Caribbean islands and the mainland in both prehistoric and historic times, so it is impossible to know whether contemporary reports refer to imported or native species.