This is the moment two macaws drink water from a puddle on a busy city road just feet from passing cars due to the destruction of their natural habitat.
An onlooker filmed the blue-and-yellow macaws as they drank from the small puddle on a traffic island on the road in the centre of the Brazilian city of Palmas.
The macaws appeared untroubled by the passing vehicles as they quenched their thirst at the puddle of rainwater in the Tocantins state capital, whose population is 306,296.
The footage was filmed by real estate agent Arthur Carvalho Neri, who just happened to be driving by at the time when he saw the special scene and started to film.
He told news site G1: “I’d seen them up close, but not in that situation. They were super tame, calm and fewer than two metres away from the cars. Even with the cars passing by, they didn’t fly off.
“When it was my turn to pass by them, I was scared. It’s a shame I couldn’t spend more time there because it was a roundabout and there were other vehicles behind.
“It was very pretty. A unique moment. Being passionate about animals, I really enjoyed seeing it. At the same time, it’s sad because I know we’re taking animals’ places and they’re adapting and living amongst us. It makes you think.”
Macaws and other wild animals are increasingly seeking food in urban areas due to wildfires and deforestation in their natural habitat.
Despite the threats to the bird’s traditional way of life, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) a species of least concern.
Pair of blue macaws drinking water on street in the center of Palmas in Brazil in September 2021. 
Pair of blue macaws drinking water on street in the center of Palmas in Brazil in September 2021.
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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