Among the experienced parrot breeders, the green-winged macaw is very popular. There is nothing surprising here - it is a large, smart, funny and very beautiful bird that will forever change your life, making it more interesting and causing considerable envy among many friends.
Appearance
To begin with, this is a rather large parrot - the wingspan can reach 100-120 centimeters, and the body length - 90 centimeters. Weight is also quite large - up to 1700 grams, which makes these birds one of the largest among representatives of parrots.
The color is surprisingly rich, colorful. The torso, neck and head are painted bright red. Loins and fly feathers are light blue or blue. The wings are blue above and green below. The tail feathers are blue below and dark red above. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that bird lovers with experience in caring for exotic pets often choose the green-winged macaw, and not some other representatives of the parrot tribe.
The key is black, large and powerful - thanks to it, in the wild, the macaw not only easily destroys the peel of tropical fruits, but it can also perforate the bark of the tree if desired.
There are no pronounced differences between males and females. The latter are just a little smaller, their tail is shorter, and their head is slightly smaller.
Where live
In the wild, the green-winged macaw parrot lives in South America, and it can be found in the jungle and cities in almost any country: Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Panama and many others.
They usually live in wild forests, where they have relatively few natural enemies - the exception is falcons, some species of monkeys, possums and snakes. Alas, due to human activities, the area of forests suitable for their life is rapidly declining. As a result, they are forced to move to cities, where, however, they feel quite confident - they are fed by many residents, and in garbage bins and dumps, parrots often find food for themselves.
Breeding
At home, a large macaw parrot breeds relatively rarely. But in the wild, a pair is formed once and, if not one of the partners dies, it remains for life. Parrots are surprisingly attached to each other, take care of a partner, clean feathers on his tail, neck and head. However, sometimes there are very noisy disputes - from their screams they simply lay their ears.
Macaws try to nest as high as possible, most often in hollows of trees at a height of up to 30 meters. Often, having found a suitable hollow, they expand it further, using a massive beak. If you can’t find the nest, then choose a suitable shelter in the crevices of rocks and cliffs. The nest is not satisfied - the female lays several eggs (from 1 to 3) about 50 x 35 mm in size directly on a tree or stone.
After this, the incubation period begins. The female hatches eggs for about 24-25 days. The male has been nearby all this time, guards her, brings food.
Both parents take care of hatched chicks. At the age of 3 months, the young appears plumage. At about 100 days, former chicks can fly, but parents continue to feed them for another 30-40 days. And in the subsequent (sometimes up to 2 years) young parrots do not fly far from their parents.
They become sexually mature at the age of 3-5 years. At the same time they breed up to 30, and in some cases up to 35 years. The average life span of a macaw in captivity can reach 45-50 years. In the wild, much less.
Home Content
Keeping a green-winged macaw is a simple task. Even individuals caught in the wild adapt remarkably quickly, adjusting to the hosts. With proper care, care and love, after a few weeks the parrot literally falls in love with the owner - he can watch him for hours, and if possible, he will chase him from room to room, watching what he does.
High intelligence allows the macaw to become a great pet. But only if you are ready to put up with his voice. He is surprisingly loud and unpleasant. However, such screams can usually be heard only when the parrot is somewhat dissatisfied or scared.
A large cage is needed, and ideally an aviary, in which a bird could spread its wings and at least fly a little. It is very important to give him a sufficient number of toys - mirrors, stairs and many others. A bored macaw just starts pulling feathers from its tail, wings and abdomen with a powerful beak. As a result, in just a couple of weeks, a beautiful bird will turn into a plucked chicken.
Suitable feed
To make the life of a parrot really comfortable and happy, you need to provide it with suitable food. Make a diet, given the nutrition of a parrot in the wild.
In vivo, the green-winged macaw feeds mainly on fruits. Therefore, try to make a diet of at least 75% of them. An apple, raspberries, a banana, a pear - all this macaw will be happy to eat. You can also give him cucumbers, carrots, rosehip berries.
However, he also needs fiber. So do not forget from time to time to add wheat, millet and oats to the diet - ideally sprouted, easier to digest.
Of course, in the jungle parrots eat protein food. Therefore, you can give them some nuts, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled chicken eggs. The main thing is that there shouldn’t be too much fatty food: with low activity, the macaw will quickly gain excess weight, which will affect his well-being.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you know quite a lot about green-winged macaw: description, breeding features, preparation of a suitable diet, captivity. So, they are quite ready for the fact that a guest from South America will settle in your house.