Mighty Macaws

The Macaws are the quaint essential parrot, what everyone thinks of when you say Parrot. They are big colourful and often appear on a pirates shoulder. This however is a stereotype. Parrots can’t swim so they make poor companions for a sea raiding pirate and only the large (yes I said large cause there is two sizes of Macaw) Macaws are colourful.

            Everybody knows that the Macaw comes from South America but few realise that there are two sizes: Regular and Mini. Despite the sizes all Macaws share a few similar traits. They have the intelligence of a three to eight year old but the emotional abilities of a two year old and just like a two year old they can throw temper tantrums, screaming and tossing their toys around. These are birds for the experienced owner; these birds can be dangerous and need an owner that knows what they are doing and how to handle them.



Shamrock Macaw, a rare hybrid made from breeding
the Scarlet Macaw with the Military Macaw.



            Mini Macaws range in size from 30.5 cm to 45.7 cm while the large Macaws have a size range of 48.3 cm to 101.6 cm in length. Macaws are the longest living of Parrots with some individuals having lived over 100 years of age but the average life expectancy is between 50-80 years of age. These are a lifetime commitment birds and might even need to include their bird in their will. These birds need as much if not more care and attention as a large dog. They need a large to huge cage and plenty of strong toys that they can chew up. This chewing ability allows the big macaws to crush even the toughest nuts like chestnuts so don’t be surprised if your macaw destroys a toy in only a day or two or chews up the dining room furniture when your not paying attention. This makes the larger species of macaw hazards. They have the strength to both take your arm and rearrange your entire face. This means a large macaw should not be treated as a shoulder bird and preferably not be allowed on your shoulder at any time. They can sit on your forearm and hand but no higher unless you want to risk personal injury. I once met a satellite installer who told the story of how he once went to service a person’s house in Elmira Ontario was attacked by a large macaw. It appeared no one was home but when he knocked on the door he heard someone say ‘come in’ but when he opened the door a large macaw came flying talons forward towards him. He said he would rather face a Rottweiler over a macaw again. These are animals that when they come at you can scare an unknowing person to death let alone severely hurt someone.

That said Macaws are intimidating birds to look at and many Macaws take advantage of their size and will intimidate people and other pets. This trait means that Macaws are for experiences parrot owners only and for those who know how to properly work with them and won't be intimidated by their size and imposing beak.



             One thing you must remember, not so much with the some of the minis but definitely with the bigger ones, is that these are big birds and big birds need lots of space and the perches often are as thick as a small tree branch, 2.5-6.4 cm. Some people who have large macaws or cockatoos convert a small not very often used room into a makeshift cage for their birds. This can be dangerous and the risks can often out way the benefits. In a household a cage is the best and safest option to house your bird even so a macaws cage can take up a good portion of a room so before going for a big bird consider if you have the space for them.

            Macaws love to splash in shallow water and while a mini can do this in a bowl a large macaw would need a kiddie pool or the tub filled with a water level a few centimetres deep to splash in. I know from experience that wet bird can be the most horrid smells you could ever smell, it beats wet dog for miles. Please note though that you never use anything to dry a parrot, a light gentle towel rub is all you can use. Anything else will hurt the bird so you have to learn to deal with the smell and the bigger the bird the more the feathers so the longer it will stay wet. 

            Macaws need a varied diet with fresh food and good quality pellet food to thrive. Just like all parrot species macaws need lots of food and can eat as much as a large dog in a day. I have seen bags of food for macaws and they can be as big as a bag of food for a large dog.

            Mini macaws are often much harder than the big macaws to find for several reasons though the most common is that few people are knowledge in all the different species of parrots like with dogs and the larger macaws are colourful and seem to catch people’s eyes more. Large macaws are not recommended for families with small and young children. Macaws in general are empathetic creatures who need to be handled in a gentle manner. They need owners who are experienced in caring for parrots and will provide gentle guidance while keeping and setting rules. These precautions will let prevent aggressive behaviour and make a much more loving and wonderful companion. Macaws generally aren’t mature till age 2 or 3 and around age one they tend to challenge their owners, much like rebellious teenager would challenge their parents.






The Big Guys:










The Hyacinth, the gentle giant.

 Hyacinth Macaw: these are the largest macaws and have something unique in the animal kingdom. Not does their tongue have two colours but they have a bone in their tongue, the purpose for this feature is unknown at this time. They are a solid violet blue colour with a giant black beak and a canary yellow ring of bare flesh around their eyes. Hyacinth’s are generally gentle giants with sweet temperaments and who will lie in your arms like a baby. They are not as noisy as other macaws but require a diet higher in fat. When properly raised, socialized and handled they can make wonderful family pets who are very loyal and bond strongly to their family.



Blue and Gold Macaw.

 





The Blue Throated Macaw.

Blue and Gold Macaw: the Blue and Gold is  highly popular and breeders are quite common due to its popularity. They are beautiful and clownish but tend to be screamers especially at dawn and dusk. They are active birds who need plenty of toys to keep them busy and like to roughhouse. They like to cuddle but these birds often love to play tug of war or wrestle with their beaks so you want to be careful that neither partner gets hurt when playing. Accidents can happen so care and attention is required when roughhousing or wrestling, this goes for all birds. The Blue and Gold has a similar appearance to the lesser known Blue Throated Macaw but they can be easily told apart by two major differences; the Blue and Gold has some green on its forehead often and black facial feathers, Blue Throated has blue, and less of them than the Blue Throated. The Blue and Gold is a good talker and can develop a good vocabulary.













The Green Winged Macaw

 Green Winged Macaw: the Green Winged Macaw and the Scarlet Macaw often get confused but the two are distinctly separate species. As its name suggests the Green winged has green on its wings while the Scarlet has yellow and the Green Wing has red feathers on its facial skin patch where as the Scarlet has no facial feathers, its facial patch is bare. Green Wings are the second largest macaws and have a temperament that is a mix between the Hyacinth and the Blue and Gold Macaws. They are considered to be the most intelligent of the Macaws and can figure things out quickly so they might prove to be a mental challenge for owners.

 



The Scarlet Macaw.

Scarlet Macaw: the Scarlet has gained a reputation for being nippy and aggressive, opinionated, stubborn and strong willed. They need owners who are experienced, consistent and can properly train and socialize them, the aggressive tendencies have often proven to be linked to improper rearing and handling. They are not as cuddly as other macaws and would never be a good choice for a family with children.








The Catalina Macaw.



Catalina Macaw: The Catalina Macaw is actually a cross between the Scarlet and Blue and Gold Macaw. It occurs occasionally in the wild but breeders have often bred them in captivity for their desirable traits and stunning appearance so they are quite common. They are intelligent, affectionate birds who readily bond with their owners. They do have a few of the Scarlet’s high strung tendencies but the Blue and Gold genes mellow their temperament to make a more relaxed and easily handled pet than the Scarlet. They are friendly animals who thrive on plenty of attention. Like all Macaws they need plenty of training and proper handling.

      

The Mini's:







Severe Macaw.



Military Macaw.



Red Shouldered Macaw.

Military Macaw: is actually one of the smallest of the mini Macaws. When not properly socialized they become nippy but to an owner who handles them regularly and knows what they are doing they make wonderful companions.



Severe Macaw: Severes are also called Chestnut Fronted Macaw and is well established in captivity so they are relatively easy to find. They tend to be loud but are devoted to their owners.



Yellow Collared Macaw: these Macaws are spirited little birds who only appeared in the bird hobby during the 1970’s but has become quite common thanks to its charming and sweet personality and with a good talking ability.

Red Shouldered Macaw/ Hahn’s Macaw: These are amongst the smallest of Macaws. Some Conures such as the Patagonian and the Nanday are larger than this mini Macaw. The Red Shoulder is a delightful companion and an excellent mimic. They are quite common in North America. 


Yellow Collared Macaw.









Other mini macaws include the Red Fronted and Illigers but these are not common as a companion parrot and you probably won't find one in the bird trade. 



Illigers Macaw.



Red Fronted Macaw.