The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a large, colorful parrot. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics, from extreme eastern Mexico locally to Amazonian Peru and Brazil, in lowlands up to 500 meters (at least formerly up to 1000m). It has been widely extirpated by habitat destruction and capture for the pet trade. Formerly it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas.
Description / Personality:
Scarlet Macaws are large and very colorful. A full-sized macaw can get over 2 lbs, with a length of up to 96 cm (36 inches), of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typical of macaws.
The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upperwing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence. There is bare white skin around the eye and from there to the bill. The upper beak is mostly pale horn in color and the lower is black. Sexes are alike; the only difference between ages is that young birds have dark eyes, and adults have light yellow eyes.
Housing:
They need a roomy cage and extended periods of out-of-cage activities. Providing them with a play pen or parrot perch will provide them with a safe-out-of-cage hang-out, and prevent them from sitting and destroying (chewing on) on your furniture.
Diet:
They eat a variety of seeds (unfortified / organic), fruits, veggies, nuts and high quality pellets (as well as nutritional food items, such as fruits and vegetables..
*Please note: When feeding pellets to your pet, please be aware of the fact that overly feeding citrus fruits (including oranges) or vitamin-C-rich foods to your birds can lead to "Iron Overload Disease" as vitamin C increases the amount of iron absorbed from foods and supplements.
Distribution:
The Scarlet Macaws' natural habitat runs from eastern Panama in Central America south across northern South America, east of the Andes, to Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
Macaws as Pets:
They are beautiful, yet high-maintenance pet birds that require an experienced bird owner, or someone who is committed to learning about them, and providing the appropriate environment and care for this magnificent parrot. In the wild, macaws are used to "customizing" their environment, chewing on branches, creating a nest to raise their young. In a home, they will continue to chew and explore with their beak anything that is in their environment. Training is important to integrate them into the family, and develop acceptable behavior. Providing them with a very large cage that allows for movements inside the cage, toys, several food dishes and branches is important.
Macaws can be cranky at times and may be a one person bird or sometimes develop a liking for only men or women.
Scarlet Macaws can be very noisy, as they make loud, low-pitched, throaty squawks and screams.
Scarlet Macaws are popular cage birds for those who can pay both the high price of the bird and the price of the big cage needed, can stand their loud calls, and can give them considerable time outside their cages. They are considered sociable and affectionate, and some talk well.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Macaw ownership generally presents multiple challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined macaws will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires.
They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation. Not everybody can tolerate the natural loud call of a macaw and even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your pet macaw.
Overall, it is important to guide parrot behavior, but even more so if your feathered family member is a magnificent and powerful macaw.
Breeding / Reproduction:
Macaws mate for life. A usual clutch consists of two or four eggs, which they incubate for about 24 - 28 days. The chicks will fledge after about 3 months. The parents require plenty of vegetables and fruits with a food supplement mixed in, to suppor them in rearing their young.
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