Macaws come from Mexico and throughout South
America. These large and beautiful birds are the birds that
come to most everyone's mind when the word parrot is mentioned.
These birds are most often seen in bird shows.
There are 17 macaw species and two general sizes
of macaws. Ten are considered to be the large macaws while
the other seven are the mini or dwarf macaws.
Macaws are not the bird for the amateur! They
require a lot of attention and room, and someone who knows
how to handle a bird. The large macaws beaks are extremely
powerful. They can exert a pressure of 350+ lbs. per square
inch, which can snap a finger clean off. Their voices are
so loud that they can be heard over a mile away. They require
a knowledgeable trainer who will work with them daily and
consistently.
Handfed babies are a handful, especially at
feeding time. It is not unusual for them to come charging
with beak open and jump towards the feeding syringe and start
pumping away with a force that makes you feel that your arm
will be dislocated. When done with one full syringe they can't
wait for you to fill it up again. They attach their beaks
to your wrist or other body parts and start pumping.
They are very destructive, needing to chew constantly.
If given enough branches and toys they might leave walls,
furniture, or whatever they can get their beaks on, alone.
Their diet consists of nuts, seeds, vegetables,
fruits, and healthy table food, including chicken and meat.
Macaws also need a higher fat diet. Hyacinth macaws need a
special diet consisting mainly of nuts.
They are prone to macaw wasting disease, chlamydiosis,
behavioral problems, screaming, feather cysts, feather plucking,
oral and cloacal papillomatosis, pancreatitis, and dietary
problems. They can live for a very long time and it is not
unheard of to find a macaw that is close to 100 years old.
Popular species of macaws are Blue & Gold, Scarlet, Green-Winged,
and Hyacinth.
Macaws will continue to grow until they are
around 18 months old. Baby macaws have dark eyes. Their eyes
lighten up as they age. However Buffon's and the hyacinth
are the exception--their eyes remain dark when they age.
Interesting facts: 1) Macaws can blush. The
white patches on their faces can turn bright red when exposed
to sunlight or when they get excited. This is especially true
with the military macaws who have photosensitive white facial
patches. 2) Greenwing macaws are considered to be the most
intelligent of the macaws. 3) While not know for their talking
ability, some macaws have developed very large vocabularies
Click on one of the sub species below for
more information
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