That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

 

Macaws in a store or the wild draw the eye instantly – loud, gorgeous, active and intelligent, they are the ultimate parrot pets in the eyes of many hobbyists.  Indeed, when prices were lower, a macaw was often the first parrot purchased by those new to the hobby.

Some Preliminary Considerations

However, these strong-willed birds are not for everyone, and certainly not for those without some parrot-keeping experience.  More so than their relatives, macaws are prone to “bullying” their owners.   They learn very quickly, and once they believe dominance has been attained, can be quite a handful.  With massive beaks capable of exerting up to 300 pounds per square inch of pressure, they are not to be taken lightly.  Most species are large and loud, and require a great deal of room.  All must be kept busy…a bored macaw soon becomes a destructive and impossible pet.

That being said, a hand-raised macaw in the right situation is an unparalleled pet – affectionate, intelligent and talkative in ways that few birds can match.

Range and General Characteristics

Macaws comprise a group of 6 genera and 17 species, classified with all other parrots in the family Psittacidae.  Five species are recently extinct and a sixth, the glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus), may be so.  The little blue or Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) no longer occurs in the wild but holds on in captivity.  Ranging throughout Central and South America and Mexico, populations of all are considered to be at risk.

The giant of the group, the hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is also the world’s largest parrot.  Awe-inspiring to behold, hyacinths reach 40 inches in length, and sport wingspans of nearly 5 feet.  At a “mere” 12 inches, the noble or red-shouldered macaw (Ara nobilis) is the smallest species.

Choosing a Species

A number of macaw species have been bred in captivity and, despite superficial similarities, they can differ greatly as to their suitability as pets.  I’ll write detailed articles about individual species in the future, but would now like to present a general overview.  When observing macaws, please bear in mind that hybrids are quite common in the pet trade, and they may differ markedly from either parent species.

The Noble or Red-Shouldered Macaw, Ara nobilis

This smallest of the macaws makes up in personality what it lacks in size.  Indeed, it is quite difficult to distinguish its bold, confident attitude from that of the much larger species.  Although a small macaw, the noble is still a substantial parrot, and, given its active and inquisitive nature, requires a huge cage and plenty of exercise.  It is, however, a bit less prone to aggression than other macaws, and well-habituated individuals make delightful, if often noisy, companions.

A Well-Known Subspecies

A subspecies, known as Hahn’s macaw (A. n. cumanensis) is one of the most widely-bred of the group, and is considered to be a fairly easy bird to train.  This and its small size make the Hahn’s an ideal choice for the first-time macaw owner.  Both noble and Hahn’s macaws have attained ages in excess of 50 years in captivity, and could potentially live a good deal longer.

Noble Macaws in the Wild

Noble macaws range from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana through eastern Venezuela to southern Brazil.  They frequent lightly-forested areas, but flee to deep cover when threatened.  Forest-fringed savannas, palm groves, wooded farms and plantation edges are typical haunts.  Noble macaws are most frequently encountered in groups of up to 10 birds, with pairs being evident by their interactions.

Despite their brilliant coloration, these green and red birds are surprisingly difficult to pick out among tree branches.  This, combined with their unusual quietness while feeding, affords protection from both human and natural enemies.

During my time in Venezuela, I twice missed out on seeing flocks noticed by sharper-eyed colleagues.  Once they take to the wing, however, noble macaws are very loud and very fast…so I wound up barely glimpsing them, but with a good earful!

 

A detailed article on breeding noble and other small macaws in captivity, presented at the Canadian Parrot Symposium, is posted at:

http://www.silvio-co.com/cps/articles/1996/1996worth1.htm

Please also see my article Brief Notes on Wild Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) in Venezuela.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and first posted by Snowmanradio.

 

Nolvasan is effective in eliminating a wide range of bacteria and other micro-organisms when used as a cleaning agent, and I relied upon it throughout my zoo career.

Many aviculturists utilize Nolvasan as an additive to drinking water and hand-feeding formulas, most especially where the yeast Candida albicans is a concern.  Its effectiveness in this role is, however questionable.  The main problem is that the concentration that is safe for birds to drink (1 teaspoon per gallon per manufacturer’s instructions) may not be strong enough to kill all pathogens.

Frequent cleaning of your pet’s food and water bowl and bath, using hot water and Clorox, is a far better practice than is using water additives.  Be sure to scrub all surfaces thoroughly – JW Pet Double Brush for Bird Waterers is superbly designed for this task.  You can also wipe the interior of these areas (and the cage itself) with Bramtom Bird Cage Wipes.

I also suggest keeping 2 sets of food and water cups on hand.  Air drying after cleaning, in sunlight if at all possible, is an extremely effective disease control measure.  By alternating your food and water cups, you can assure that each will have plenty of time to dry out after cleaning.

Candida albicans is very common in most environments, and nearly always shows up opportunistically when any sort of avian health problem arises.  You can learn more at:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/170210.htm

 

The chipper little zebra finch, ever popular in the lab and home, has once again shed some light on topics important to those who study both birds and people.

Hearing and Correcting the Song

Researchers at Switzerland’s Zurich University have shown that certain cells in zebra finch brains become active when the bird makes a mistake in its song, or when a disruption is introduced into a recording of another’s song.  This offers the first proof that birds listen to their own songs, and compare what they hear to an “ideal” song that is stored somewhere in the brain.

Implications for People

Human language skills are thought to develop in a similar manner, but the functioning of the neurons involved is largely unknown.  The recent discoveries concerning finches may point the way towards a better understanding of speech development in people.

Song and Speech Timing

In related experiments, it was discovered that a specific area of the brain, the High Vocal Center, controls the timing of zebra finch singing.  Cooling this area of the brain slowed the song’s tempo, but did not affect the sequence of the notes (one is tempted to wonder why the birds kept singing while their brains were being chilled!).

Birdsong and human speech both require a complex series of timing adjustments if they are to be understood by others of their species.  The Zurich researchers are hopeful that their work will have implications for those studying human speech impediments.

The zebra finch is one of the world’s most important laboratory animals, and studies of it have led to a staggering array of important discoveries.  An interesting summary of its many contributions is posted at:

http://genome.wustl.edu/genome.cgi?GENOME=Taeniopygia%20guttata

 

The presence of whole, undigested seeds in a parrot’s stool is cause for concern.  It is usually associated with hyper-motility of the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract — in other words, food is passing too quickly through the system, and digestion is not taking place.  The problem usually centers in the glandular stomach (proventriculus) or the gizzard (ventriculus).

A gram-negative bacterial infection, which may be caused by organisms such as Enterobacter mega-bacteria or various spirochetes, is often involved.  Fungal infections, and parasites such as Giardia or roundworms, are also possibilities that must be considered.  Less frequently, gastrointestinal hyper- motility can arise due to cancer, or to problems in the functioning of the crop and pancreas.  The possibility that your bird has contracted the very serious Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD, or “Macaw Wasting Disease”) must also be investigated (please see reference below).

You should contact your veterinarian if undigested seeds show up in the feces of any species of parrot that you might keep.  The first step is usually to submit a fecal sample.  This may be followed by a radiograph or, if necessary, a biopsy of the area in question.

Please write it with health-related questions or to share your experiences in caring for sick or injured birds.

 

You can learn more about Proventricular Dilation Disease at:
http://www.gtpc.ca/documents/PDD-AABirds%20_1_.pdf

Click: Breeding the Melba Finch (Green-Winged Pytilia), Pytilia melba – Part 1 to read the first part of this article.

The Importance of Insects in the Diet

The Melba finch’s beak is much thinner than that of those finches, such as the Gouldian, that rely on a seed-based diet.  In the wild this species consumes a good deal of insect prey, and such is particularly important in bringing the birds into breeding condition, and when they are raising chicks.  This is true of Melba finches to a much greater extent than for any other finch species.

Melba finches do well when provided with small crickets and mealworm grubs and pupae, but increasing the dietary variety is always a good idea.  Waxworms, Canned Caterpillars and insects collected with Zoo Med’s Bug Napper Insect Trap (moths and small beetles are especially favored) will help assure your success.  Higgins Eggfood is indispensible for Melba finches, both in and out of the breeding season.  The young are fed entirely upon insects for at least 10 days after hatching, so be sure to have plenty on hand.

In addition to the aforementioned foods, the basic adult diet should consist a mix of high quality Finch Seed, sprouts and a bit of romaine and other greens.

Eliciting Natural Feeding Behaviors

Melba finches in the wild and in outdoor aviaries forage mainly on the ground.  Dry hay or grass can be placed on the cage bottom – insects or seed scattered within this will keep them occupied for hours.

The Breeding Cage

Although success has been had in fairly small cages, I would suggest using one along the lines of the Blue Ribbon Peaked Bird Cage.  Melba finches favor an open wicker cup as a nesting site, which should be situated behind Hanging Silk or live plants.

Typical Reproductive Behavior

The male will indicate his breeding readiness by singing and commencing nest-building (provide dry grass or 8 in one nesting hair).  Females lay 3-6 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. Most importantly – these birds will not tolerate nest inspections.  Doing so almost guarantees that they will toss the eggs from the nest.

The eggs hatch in 12-13 days, and fledging usually occurs at day 19-21.  The fledglings are fed by the parents for approximately 2 weeks after leaving the nest.  They should be removed shortly thereafter, and can be kept as a group for 7 months to 1 year.  However, I suggest splitting them at age 5-6 months, as aggression triggered by maturity can come on quite suddenly.

Adult plumage is attained at age 7 months, but birds rarely breed before 2-3 years of age.

Techniques used by Australian aviculturists to breed this and related finches are discussed at:

http://www.hawkesburyfinchclub.com/pytilia.html

Click here for an image of the Melba Finch.