<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FilingSummary xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <Version>2.2.0.25</Version>
  <ReportType />
  <MyReports>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>true</IsDefault>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <LongName>010008 - Document - Risk/Return Summary - American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund (Class A, C, Y and Investor) {Unlabeled}</LongName>
      <ShortName>Risk/Return Summary - American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund (Class A, C, Y and Investor)</ShortName>
      <Role>http://americanbeaconfunds.com/role/RiskReturnSummaryAmericanBeaconRetirementIncomeAndAppreciationFundClassCYAndInvestorShares</Role>
      <ContainEmbeddedReports>false</ContainEmbeddedReports>
      <XmlFileName>R1.xml</XmlFileName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <LongName>040000 - Disclosure - Risk/Return Detail Data {Elements}</LongName>
      <ShortName>Risk/Return Detail Data</ShortName>
      <Role>http://americanbeaconfunds.com/role/RiskReturnDetailData</Role>
      <ContainEmbeddedReports>false</ContainEmbeddedReports>
      <XmlFileName>R2.xml</XmlFileName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <ReportType>Book</ReportType>
      <LongName>All Reports</LongName>
      <ShortName>All Reports</ShortName>
      <Role />
      <ContainEmbeddedReports>false</ContainEmbeddedReports>
      <XmlFileName />
    </Report>
  </MyReports>
  <EntityCount>1</EntityCount>
  <ContextCount>2</ContextCount>
  <SegmentCount>2</SegmentCount>
  <ScenarioCount>0</ScenarioCount>
  <UnitCount>0</UnitCount>
  <ElementCount>14</ElementCount>
  <FootnotesReported>false</FootnotesReported>
  <TuplesReported>false</TuplesReported>
  <ContextSummary>
    <ContextSummary>
      <ContextName>TwelveMonthsEnded_01Mar2011</ContextName>
      <ElementCount>9</ElementCount>
    </ContextSummary>
    <ContextSummary>
      <ContextName>TwelveMonthsEnded_01Mar2011_S000001821_Member_Prospectus_Six_Member</ContextName>
      <ElementCount>5</ElementCount>
    </ContextSummary>
  </ContextSummary>
  <BaseTaxonomies />
  <HasPresentationLinkbase>true</HasPresentationLinkbase>
  <HasCalculationLinkbase>true</HasCalculationLinkbase>
</FilingSummary>
