Do you have a good aesthetic sense to own a Red and Green Macaw?
So luckily you have landed on the right page to collect all the information on the red and green macaw. Its beauty can easily blow you away. Their bright colors, gentle nature, and long lifespan attract animal lovers from all over the world.
Red and Green Macaw:
General Names: Green-winged, Red and Green macaw
Scientific Name: Macaw Ara chloropterus
Lifespan: It is said they can live up to 70 years if an owner takes good care of it. However, wild macaws are said to have an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years.
Size: 39 inches long with a wingspan of 49 inches, weighing 3 3/4 pounds
Origin of the Red and Green Macaw:
Red and Green Macaw, also known as the green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus) is a large macaw of the predominantly red genus Macaw. It is the largest member of the genus Ara, found in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America.
Green-winged macaws live in groups of six to eight birds in the wild, and they are quite sociable. Due to their friendly nature, green-winged macaws respond well to instructions and require a lot of attention and cuddling time. A bored macaw will destroy its environment.
Males and females are almost identical, except for the males, which are a bit large. It is not possible to check the gender of macaw, either it is male or female, but the only way is DNA testing. Green-winged males and females are the same weight, color, and size.
Color of the Red and Green Macaw:
The green-winged macaw is one of the most beautiful and easily recognizable parrot.
- The head, shoulders, and chest of these colorful birds are a rich fiery red, with a greenish border below the shoulders and wings.
- On the wings, the green stripe turns dark blue, while the rump and tail feathers are light blues.
- The long red tail feathers have a blue tip.
- The bill is horn-colored with a black lower jaw.
- Legs and feet are dark gray.
- On the normally bare white fleshy cheeks, there are distinctive bright red lines around the eyes made by rows of small, solitary feathers.
Temperament:
Green-winged macaws live in flocks of six to eight birds in the wild, and they are quite sociable. Due to their friendly nature, green-winged macaws respond well to instructions and require a lot of attention and cuddling time. A bored macaw will destroy its environment.
The green-winged macaw is nicknamed the “gentle giant” by some macaw enthusiasts because it is larger than the red and blue-and-yellow macaw, but it is more docile and gentle than the other two popular species. , which makes it a more attractive companion.
If we talk about their lifespan, the red and green macaw can live in captivity for up to 70 years or more if properly cared for by its human family. It has a shorter lifespan in nature, on average 30 years.
Reproductive behavior/Breeding Process:
Green-winged macaws show puberty at the age of 2-3 years. Normally, they are a lifelong pair. Their breeding season generally runs from January to June. In the wild, they prefer to nest in tall trees like palm trees. Their incubation period is almost 27 days and lays 1-3 eggs.
In the very first week after hatching, the female member is solely responsible for feeding the chicks, the male member helps after a week. In the first 10 days, hatches are completely featherless, blind, and dependent on their parents.
Parents violently protect and defend their young against invaders. It takes almost 20 weeks for young Green-Winged to reach adulthood.
Nutrition and Diet:
Green-winged macaws eat fruits, seeds, berries, and nuts in the wild. They also congregate on the clay cliffs. The toxins are neutralized by the consumption of clay by birds, which contains minerals and salts.
In addition to daily servings of bird-safe fruits and vegetables, green-winged macaws, like all parrots, should be fed a commercial mix of high-quality seeds and pellets. The majority of green wings love to be hand-fed along with the rest of the family. Green-winged macaws are known to eat protein in the wild and they eat pieces of chicken cooked in captivity.
Learn more about the Nutrition and Diet at Best Food for Parrots
Health and Diseases:
Like other varieties of macaws, Red and Green-winged macaws are prone to a variety of diseases, including:
- Psittacosis is a bacterial infection that produces respiratory symptoms and discharges from the eyes. Stressed birds are the most vulnerable, and prompt antibiotic treatment can usually cure the disease.
- Proventicular dilatation disease (also known as Macaw wasting disease) is a viral infection that causes intestinal and neurological symptoms. It is life-threatening and the best way to avoid it is to keep birds separate from other birds.
- Psittacidae Beak and Feather Disease is a circovirus-based disease that kills feather and beak cells while compromising the immune system. It is usually fatal and the only way to avoid it is to make sure your bird kept in a separate place, but not with other parrots, if your parrot were living with other species then you have to contact with veterans.
Other, less serious problems include allergies and behavioral issues, such as feather pulling, which is common in bored or restless parrots. In addition, we have another article about Common Diseases in Parrots. All the diseases, symptoms and treatment describe in details.
How to take care of a green-winged macaw?
A large macaw, like a green-winged macaw, requires a cage of at least 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet. Although the green-winged macaw is calmer than some of the other large macaws, it is still a loud bird.
- Set up a sturdy perch in the cage and get ready to replace it as it wears out. Above the perch on the side of the cage, dishes of food, drink, and treats should be mounted. The birds will be able to improve their skills by climbing on the branches of the enclosure.
- Chew and play toys come in a range of shapes and sizes.
- It’s a fantastic idea to put a playpen structure on top of the cage.
- During the summer, the green-winged macaw need to keep them in the house. So you can dedicate the complete room to your parrot, there, they can live comfortably.
Keeping a large green-winged macaw is an expensive task that requires continuous monitoring. So get ready to spend a lot of money on this bird.
Interesting Facts about Red and Green Macaws:
- Green-winged macaws, after hyacinth macaws, are the second-largest parrots.
- They have one of the largest and most diverse ranges of any macaw.
- Macaws are generally monogamous, with only one life partner.
- Red and green macaw easily confuse with scarlet macaws due to their reddish appearance
- The yellow eyes of the green-winged macaw are surrounded by bright red bars made up of rows of tiny feathers.
- They employ a variety of vocalizations, some of which are quite similar to the vocalizations of the common crow, such as curl up, scream and bark.
- These parrots are not very good at mimicry. Macaws in the wild, on the other hand, do not copy the sounds of other birds. The only captive macaws who attempt to copy human speech are subject to mimicry.
