Macaws are the most colorful and strikingly beautiful members of the parrot family and have the typical parrot features. They have large, strong, curved beaks designed to crush nuts and seeds. Strong, agile toes are used like hands to grasp things. Loud, screeching and squawking voices help make their presence known in dense rain forests and that is how they communicate with their group. Their native habitats are the forests, especially rain forests, of Mexico, Central and South America and sometimes the Caribbean Islands.

Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara Ararauna)

A macaw’s beak is so strong it can easily crush a whole Brazil nut—or a person’s knuckle! They are big chewers, something they need to do to keep their beaks in good shape. They can do impressive damage to even very hard wood with their beaks. A macaw’s tongue is dry, slightly scaly, and has a bone inside it, all of which makes it an excellent tool for breaking open and eating food. They can suck up liquids and lick a bowl of water clean with their powerful tongue.

Macaws live in pairs, family groups, or flocks of 10 to 30, which helps give them protection from predators like large snakes and birds of prey. When adult macaws choose mates, they usually stay together until one of them dies. This close relationship is called a pair bond. The pair reinforces their bond by preening each other’s feathers, sharing food, and roosting together.

Macaws are built to fly through the trees in the forest, with a streamlined body and tail shape and wings that don’t flap deeply. They are also famous for their bright colors, which seem bold and conspicuous to us but actually blend in well with the green leaves, red and yellow fruits, and bluish shadows in the rain forest. Some of the larger macaws measure upto 48 inches in length and wing span and weigh upto 4 pounds.

The larger macaws may live up to 65 years but recent studies indicate that they may live upto a 100 years. The Blue Hyacinth Macaw shown in the picture below is 37 years old, can you believe that? The majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild. Five species are already extinct and some are on the brink of extinction. The greatest problems threatening the macaw population are the rapid rate of deforestation and the illegal trapping of birds for the bird trade.

Blue Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)

Macaws are intelligent and curious birds that like to explore and keep busy. They are very aware of their surroundings, which is necessary to keep watch for predators. As social birds they spend a lot of time interacting with their mates and their family groups. They have been known to use tools, and they like to play with interesting objects they find. They will exam the objects from different angles, moving them with their feet, testing them with their tongues, and tossing them around.

Green-Winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera)

In captivity unmated macaws will bond primarily with one person – their keeper. Pet macaws thrive on frequent interaction and attention, and a lack of this can lead to their mental and physical suffering. They tend to be extremely loud: their voices are designed to carry over long distances. This makes macaws very demanding and noisy birds to keep as a household pet. Most Macaws are excellent talkers. They are capable of mimicing human language and understand what is being told to them. They also understand human feeling, moods and emotions and react accordingly.

A common trend in recent years is hybridising macaws for the pet trade. Hybrids are typical macaws, with the only difference from true species being their genetics and their colors. They tend to have intermediate characteristics between the parents’, though the appearance seems to be influenced more by the father’s genes. As for their temperament and behaviour, they seem to inherit the best of both parents, assuming both parents are not aggressive. Common hybrids include Harlequins, Camelots, Bluffons and Catalinas (known as Rainbows in Australia).

Scarlet Macaw (Ara Macao)

Conclusion: These are excellent birds to have as pets, provided you dedicate time everyday to interact with them. If you think you are unable to give it the time, respect and interaction it deserves, you may want to think of getting a stuffed toy instead. If deforestation and illegal bird trade does not stop, then only place we can get to see these beautiful birds in a couple of years is on blogs like these.

Disclaimer: The birds featured in this blog are not affiliated to the famous EuroDance band “Real McCoy” and do not endorse them either. They however love the music and enjoy dancing to their tunes.