Macaws are known as the giants of the parrot world. The hyacinth macaw is the longest parrot, with a head-to-tail length of nearly 40 inches. Macaws have long tail feathers as well as big beaks. Macaw adaptations include large, curved, powerful beaks designed to crack open hard nuts and seeds. These parrots have a long, sleek physique and colorful feathering, ranging from the hyacinth macaw’s hyacinth blue to the scarlet macaw’s scarlet red coloring. Some macaws have bare facial patches.

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Macaws are classified into two groups: large macaws and mini macaws. The large macaws include the “blue macaws” group like the hyacinth, Lear’s macaw, and Spix’s macaw. The mini macaws are much smaller and include those from the genera Diopsittaca, Orthopsittaca, and Primolius.

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The commonly kept companion macaw species include the following, listed by common name and scientific name: blue-and-gold macaw (Ara ararauna), green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus), Hahn’s macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis nobilis), hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), scarlet macaw (Ara macao), military macaw (Ara militaris), and severe macaw (Ara severus).

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Care & Feeding Macaws

A macaw parrot needs a cage tall enough to prevent its tail feathers from hitting the cage bottom, which can cause the tail feathers to bend or break. Overall, a macaw needs a much larger cage and play stand than other parrot species, so a potential owner should take space considerations into account.

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In their natural habitat, macaws feed on native seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, palm nuts, figs, nectar, and, in some regions, clay from exposed river banks. The dietary needs of some macaw species differ from that of other parrots because they need more fat in their diet. The wild macaw’s diet tends to be high in fat, which is acceptable for a bird that spends its day flying through the rainforest, finding food, nesting, and rearing chicks.

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Companion macaws tend to have a much easier life than their wild counterparts, but they miss out on the ability to forage for their food, a behavior that comes naturally. Lafeber’s bird foods are ideal for the lively macaw, a bird that appreciates the opportunity to tear apart its meals. The berry and cake shapes of these foods invite more interaction. Macaws tend to love Pellet-Berries, Avi-Cakes, and Nutri-Berries.

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Native Region / Natural Habitat

Macaws are native to the southern portion of North America (Mexico) plus Central America and South America. Data shows that the Caribbean also had native macaw species like the Cuban macaw and the Saint Croix macaw, which are now extinct. They inhabit rainforests, as well as grasslands and grassy woodland-type areas. Macaws, and other parrot species, native to the Amazon basin, such as Peru, have been observed eating from clay licks at river banks, which researchers believe is a way for the parrots to neutralize toxins found in some of the foods they consume in the wild.

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Personality & Behaviour of Macaw Parrots

Macaw parrots are a force to be reckoned with. Everything about them is big, from their voices to their attitudes. Even the mini macaws are big — on the inside! Colorful and often raucous, they call attention to themselves even when quiet. Although, to the uninitiated, macaws seem formidable and may bluster and carry on, those who share their lives with these magnificent friends know that they contain surprisingly loving hearts and sensitive natures.

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Macaws for sale can be quite playful and love toys they can chew up, especially items made of wood. A pet macaw will need a consistent supply of appropriate toys and other safe items to destroy. The cost of a stable supply of toys should be factored into the monthly pet budget. Macaws are intelligent birds that also thrive on activities designed to challenge them, such as foraging activities. Foraging involves searching for food or time spent enjoying food. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company satisfy the need for foraging while providing superior nutrition.

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A macaw might make a game out of spooking people by leaning forward and lunging toward them. This is not done as an aggressive gesture but more for the reaction, it causes. In general, a well-socialized, positively interacted with macaw can be a gentle pet. Macaws from the Ara genus, such as green-winged, scarlet, and blue-and-gold macaws, have a bare facial patch, which turns flush when the bird is overly excited.

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Speech & Sounds

Large macaws have equally large vocalizations, and their squawks and screeches can be quite loud and ear-piercing. A potential macaw owner needs to take a macaw’s large sound into consideration, especially if he or she lives in an apartment and/or has nearby neighbors. Macaws can be taught to talk and they might also be inclined to whistle or to imitate sounds and noises they hear inside and outside the home.

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Health & Common Conditions
Macaws can be prone to feather-destructive behaviors. If a complete veterinary exam rule out medical causes of feather plucking, boredom, and/or lack of appropriate mental stimulation can be a cause. Offer your macaw an enriched environment with plenty of opportunities for play and exercise, such as climbing nets and ropes, in addition to toys.

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Macaws are also more susceptible to proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD), psittacosis, beak malocclusion, and aspergillosis. Regular health checkups by an avian veterinarian can help diagnose and treat many disease processes early on.

 

.It is normal for a macaw to sneeze a few times a day to clear out dust or dander from its nares, which might be accompanied by a clear discharge. If the sneezing is persistent and/or the discharge is not a clear color, contact your avian veterinarian.

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Buy a Macaw Parrot

Would a macaw be a good pet? That depends on you. Adding a macaw to your family means considering if you have the room, the time, the personality, and other factors that make a macaw a good companion for you. Because macaws need spacious accommodations and are long-lived, adding a macaw to the family needs to be thoroughly thought through.

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Macaw parrots are more likely to be available almost yearly from our bird breeders. Contact us for more information