Blue and Gold Macaw – Ara Ararauna

The blue and gold macaw is approximately 34" – 36"  in size and is one of the larger of the parrot family.   Its back and wings are turquoise, the sides of its neck, breast and belly are golden.   The forehead and crown are greenish blue, the throat black the cheeks white bordered with in black stripes.   The undertail coverts are bluish yellow.   The eyes are yellow, the beak and legs black.   As usual the female is the smaller bird and the immature have dark eyes.

They appear in the wild anywhere from Panama southwards into Central America and northern Paraguay.

The blue and gold macaw in the wild likes to live near to water, in forests, savannahs, open country or swamps.

As pets their cage needs to be very roomy and very strong as they have an extremely powerful beak.  The beak of the blue and gold macaw will find the weakness in any wooden structure.   A very large cage is needed for this bird at night.   The cage will need to have a variety of branches which your parrot can climb.   To amuse itself it will need a variety of toys and playthings such as pinecones or stones.   During the day it is normally happiest when perching on a stand with a feed bowl and a water bowl.

As your companion the blue and gold macaw will require a varied diet and fresh water at all times.   All parrots love to have a bath many times a week.   The diet should consist of leaves, seeds, fruits, nuts, parrot mix, mealworms, cheese and green vegetables.

The blue and gold macaw as a pet will be affectionate, loyal, gentle and intelligent.   It can learn tricks very well and will imitate and talk quite clearly.   They can live up to 100 years or more occasionally.   Sometimes they can become aggressive towards their keepers at breeding time.