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~ Macaws ~
Macaws
are large colourful New World parrots, classified into six of the many
Psittacidae genera: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Propyrrhura,
Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca. They are the largest birds in the parrot
family in length and wingspan, though the flightless Kakapo is heavier.
Parrots are zygodactyl, like woodpeckers, having 4 toes on each foot – two
front and two back.
Their native habitats are the forests, especially rain forests, of Mexico and
Central and South America. They are called guacamayos in Spanish and araras in
Portuguese.
- Anodorhynchus
- Cyanopsitta
- Ara
- Orthopsittaca
- Propyrrhura
- Diopsittaca
The
majority of macaws are now endangered in the wild. Five species are already
extinct, and Spix's Macaw is now considered to be extinct in the wild. The
Glaucous Macaw is also probably extinct, with only two reliable records of
sightings in the 20th century. The greatest problems threatening the macaw
population are the rapid rate of deforestation and the illegal trapping of
birds for the bird trade.
Macaws
eat nuts and fruit. They also gnaw and chew on various objects. They show a
large amount of intelligence in their behaviour and require constant
intellectual stimulation to satisfy their innate curiosity.
Bonding: Macaws have been said to live for up to 100 years; however, an
average of 50 years is probably more accurate. The larger macaws may live up
to 65 years. They are monogamous and mate for life. In captivity unmated
macaws will bond primarily with one person – their keeper. Pet macaws thrive
on frequent interaction, and a lack of this can lead to their mental and
physical suffering.
Other sub-bondings also take place and most macaws that are subjected to
non-aggressive behaviour will trust most humans, and can be handled even by
strangers if someone familiar is also alongside.
Captive pet macaws sometimes display difficult behaviour, the most common
being biting, screaming, and feather-plucking. Feather-plucking does not
normally occur in the wild, strongly suggesting that it is the result of a
neurosis related to life in captivity.
Most pet macaws had ancestors living in the wild just two or three generations
ago, and are not truly domesticated by any reasonable definition. (This is
unlike, for example, dogs; some estimates put the domestication of dogs as far
back as 40,000 years ago.)
All species of macaws have very powerful, large beaks and are capable of
causing considerable harm to both children and adults. They tend to be
extremely loud: their voices are designed to carry over long distances. This
makes macaws very demanding birds to keep as a household pet.
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 colours. 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 (Ara ararauna x chloroptera) and Catalinas (known
as Rainbows in Australia, A. ararauna x macao).
This article is licensed under
the GNU Free
Documentation License. It uses material from
Wikipedia.
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