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Wellensittich-Bilder
Macaws – The Colorful Parrots from South America
Macaws belong to the family of true parrots (Psittacidae) and more specifically to the New World parrots. They are divided into true macaws, blue macaws (Anodorhynchus), Spix's macaws (Cyanopsitta), and dwarf macaws (Diopsittaca). Additionally, there are red-bellied macaws (Orthopsittaca) and small macaws (Primolius).
The true macaws include the blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), the blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis), the military macaw (Ara militaris), the great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), the green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus), also called the dark red macaw, the red-fronted macaw (Ara rubrogenys), and the chestnut-fronted macaw (Ara severus). The true macaws also included many now-extinct species, like the Cuban macaw. The blue macaws consist of the hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) and Lear's macaw (Anodorhynchus leari). Spix's macaws only include the Spix's macaws.
The dwarf macaws consist of the red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis), although Lichtenstein's dwarf macaws (Diopsittaca nobilis cumanensis) and Neumann's dwarf macaws (Diopsittaca nobilis longipennis) are also often counted among them. Red-bellied macaws (Orthopsittaca manilata) consist solely of red-bellied macaws. The small macaws (Primolius) are divided into the yellow-collared macaw (Primolius auricollis), the blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana), and the blue-headed macaw (Primolius couloni).
These species were named in the first half of the 19th century.
Wild Type and Natural Habitat
The wild type varies in size depending on the species, with the body length of the blue-winged macaw being only about 40 cm, while the large hyacinth macaws can reach up to one meter in length.
The birds live in different regions of Central and South America, depending on the genus. They are native to mountainous and tropical rainforests of the Andes. They also inhabit river areas. However, they also populate palm and dry savannas, as well as dry forests. So, they live in a variety of habitats and continue to discover new environments.
Their diet consists primarily of various seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Depending on the species, they also eat wood and occasionally insects and larvae. Often, large parrots also eat fruits that are not yet ripe (e.g., mangoes), which can lead to digestive issues. However, the birds are clever and seek out special muddy river areas with a unique soil composition (clay and minerals), which serves as healing earth for them.
In the evenings, they often live together in large groups of several hundred birds.
Sexual maturity is reached between the second and sixth year. A pair usually stays together for life. They are cavity nesters and generally breed once a year. The breeding season is between October and May, depending on the nesting location. The female lays between one and four eggs per clutch, and the subsequent incubation lasts an average of four weeks. The adult birds then raise their chicks for about three months, during which time the young birds learn to fly. After about two months, they are fully feathered. After fledging, the young birds may stay with their parents until the next breeding season. After this period, the birds live together in a large family group until they reach sexual maturity.
Many macaw species are endangered or threatened in their native habitats due to imports and deforestation of many rainforest areas, and therefore are listed on the IUCN Red List. Spix's macaws are already extinct in the wild, but since a few birds still breed in captivity, the goal is to reintroduce the offspring to their original habitat. Due to the lack of a mate, the last wild Spix's macaw paired with a blue-winged macaw.
Their average lifespan is between 50 and 60 years. However, 100-year-old macaws have also been observed, making them the longest-lived pets of all. In captivity, these birds typically live even longer than in the wild.
###advertiser_one###Domestication
The first macaws were kept by humans in Europe as early as the beginning of the 17th century, but successful breeding was only recorded in the 20th century. Depending on the parrot genus, breeding these birds can be more or less difficult. While green-winged macaws have been successfully bred for a long time, this is not the case for hyacinth macaws. Real success in breeding has only been achieved in recent years. At the Wuppertal Zoo, green-winged macaws were paired with blue-and-yellow macaws, and the pair successfully raised a significant number of young birds.
Keeping and Behavior
Keeping the large, colorful parrots involves a high financial investment, and one should also possess extensive knowledge about parrot care. Their acquisition, as well as a proper aviary, is very expensive. Proper nutrition is extremely important and should not be underestimated. The cost of food is significantly higher than for smaller bird species, and toys are also costly.
Proper parrot care is not easy. It should be considered that these birds need a very large aviary. An aviary should be at least 4m x 2m x 2m in size, but even in such an aviary, the large parrots still do not have the opportunity for real flight. Keeping them in an outdoor aviary is the best option, as they can experience fresh air and natural stimuli. However, a sufficiently large shelter must be provided to protect the birds from cold and weather. Before acquiring parrots, permission from the landlord should be obtained, as they can be very loud, and not every neighbor will appreciate the parrots' noisy vocalizations throughout the day.
Cage keeping is not recommended, as it does not provide the birds with enough space. If the birds are still kept in a cage, they must at least be able to stretch their wings without touching the bars. Daily free flight is then required. You can also accustom parrots to a free-standing perch, which they will see as their territory if they are trained early enough. However, it must be ensured that the birds have the opportunity to fly at any time.
The bars must be made of stainless steel and thick enough so that the birds cannot bite through them with their strong beaks. The aviary should be equipped with enrichment items and natural wood perches.
High humidity, as well as lighting with UV light, should also be considered.
With such large parrots, it should generally be considered whether keeping them is acceptable from an animal welfare perspective or whether their care should be limited to breeding projects and zoological institutions with appropriate aviaries.
Macaws are generally quite peaceful birds, but during the breeding season, they can sometimes become a bit aggressive. Situations have been observed where, during a fight between two birds, a third bird intervened to calm the quarrel and resolved the conflict.
Plenty of flight space should be a given when keeping macaws. It is also essential to provide constant enrichment for the birds.
There is a lot of parrot toys available in stores, and the birds enjoy using them. Depending on the bird's character, they may prefer shredding things or engaging in puzzle and thinking games. You can fill various materials with objects that the parrots can then dismantle. Hanging toys that they can climb and chew on are also recommended. Additionally, free-standing perches can be offered for free flight.
A bathing opportunity should be provided frequently, such as a large shallow dish. Another option is spraying them with a plant spray bottle, which must not have been previously filled with fertilizers or chemicals.
The birds are very curious about their environment and often become quite tame. However, not every bird will become tame, and not all will imitate humans or speak a few words. Therefore, tameness should not be a criterion for acquisition. Additionally, their strong need to chew, which spares no furniture, and their considerable production of feather dust should be kept in mind.
The birds have a high demand for fat- and protein-rich seeds. Feeding nuts is recommended, but it is essential to ensure they are of impeccable quality, as moldy nuts can cause severe illness. High-quality food can also be purchased online. To offer dietary variety to the exotic birds, cooked and sprouted foods can also be fed. Feeding fruits and vegetables is equally important and beneficial. Occasionally, eggs and dairy products like quark can be offered as food.
###advertiser_two###The most commonly kept species in private households is the green-winged macaw. This species is very playful and curious, making it a popular pet.
As fascinating as these beautiful birds are, it should not be forgotten how demanding they are. Especially when kept under less-than-optimal conditions, they can become extremely jealous and possessive if the owner does not give them the attention they expect. Some birds even terrorize their owners, which is not due to malice but rather to poor care conditions. The worse the care, the more likely behavioral issues and neuroses are, especially in parrots without a same-species partner.
Co-habitation
Macaws with macaws: Different macaw species can be kept together. As mentioned above, there have even been mixed breeding projects at Wuppertal Zoo. During the breeding season, keeping different macaw pairs of different species can cause problems. Therefore, it is recommended to keep only one group of one species. Ideally, they should always be kept in even numbers.
Macaws with other bird species: Keeping them with other bird species is not recommended. The reason for this is the size of the macaw and its beak. A movement that is not necessarily meant to be harmful can severely injure a smaller bird, such as a budgie. Joint keeping with African grey parrots is possible in a sufficiently large outdoor aviary. However, it is important to provide retreat opportunities for both macaws and African greys. It is best to keep macaws in a pair or small group without other parrots.
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