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Blue and Gold Macaw Parrot
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| Ara ararauna (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna), also known as Gold-and-blue Macaw, is a member of the macaw group of parrots which breeds in the swampy forests of tropical South America from Panama south to Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is probably now extinct on Trinidad.
Description
They can reach 76-86 cm long and weigh 900 to 1300 g and are vivid in appearance with blue wings and tail, golden (some might say, "butterscotch") underparts and a green cap on the head. Their beaks are jet black and very strong for crushing nuts.
Aviculture
Although very popular as pets because of their striking appearance and ability to talk, the price of a single bird may be in excess of US $1,000-$2,000 in North America, and their large size makes domestication difficult.
They require much more effort and knowledge from owners than more traditional pets such as dogs or cats. They are intelligent and loving, so for someone who can provide for their needs, they make good companion animals. Blue and Yelows are know to their owners as more of a "one person" bird, and bond very closely to their owners.
Even the most well cared for Blue-and-Gold Macaw will "scream" and make other loud noises, nonetheless, it is possible to make them silent. Loud vocalizations, especially "flock calls", and destructive chewing are natural parts of their behavior and should be expected in captivity. To some extent you can redirect chewing to toys, but a macaw left alone, uncaged in a room will likely redecorate. By providing a number of toys in cage, one can minimize the destructive chewing as the bird will focus chewing on those appropriate objects.
They require a varied diet, a seed only diet will lead to health problems such as vitamin deficiency. An example of a good diet would be a quality pelleted mix, in conjunction with a mix featuring seed, nuts, and dried fruits, with fresh vegetables and fruits fed regularly; furthermore, it is quite common (and appreciated by the parrot) to partake with their human owners of safe foods like pasta, bread, etc. It is important to avoid foods with high fat content (generally) while striving to provide a wide variety of foods.
There are some foods which are toxic to birds and parrots as a group. Cherry pits, avocados, chocolate, and caffeine are some foods that should not be fed. Chocolate and caffeine are not metabolized by birds the same way they are in humans.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Ara ararauna. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Birds of Venezuela by Steven L. Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd edition, Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
- My Parrot, My Friend by Doane and Qualkinbush, Macmillan, 1994 ISBN 0-87605-970-1
Media
- Video:Ara ararauna (file info) — Watch in browser
- Video of the Ara ararauna at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In case of problems, see media help.
A blue and gold macaw plays Cotton's Parrot in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
External links
- Araproject parrots
- The Parrot World Trust
- Blue-and-yellow Macaw videos on the Internet Bird Collection.
- Image on PBase
