Macaws 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.
Macaws 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 in to 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.
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.
Macaws are king-sized members of the parrot family and have typical parrot features. Their large, strong, curved beaks are adapted for crushing nuts and seeds. Their strong, agile toes are used like hands to grasp things. Loud, screeching and squawking voices help make their presence known in dense rainforests. 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 of the forest homes.
Macaws are adapted for flying through the trees in the forest, with a streamlined body and tail shape and wings that don’t flap deeply. When they come in for a landing, they drop their tail and feet downward and use their wings like brakes to slow down before grasping a perch with their feet. Most macaws nest in holes of trees or in earthen banks and cliff sides.
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. Macaws have been known to use items as tools, and they like to play with interesting objects they find. They examine the objects from different angles, moving them with their feet, testing them with their tongue, and tossing them around. Macaws are also 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. Most macaws like to take baths, and they play in the water as they splash around.
Screaming is a natural call for macaws. They do it to make contact with one another, to define territory, and even as part of their play. Their calls can be quite earsplitting to humans! Macaws can also imitate sounds, and macaws that live with or near humans often repeat words they hear, practicing to themselves until they get it right.
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