Yellow Collared Macaw

The Yellow Collared Macaw is also known as the Yellow Naped Macaw or Golden Collared Macaw and can be found in South American countries like Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina.

The Yellow Collared Macaw is one of the smallest Macaws and breeders call it

Pet Bird Feeding Bowls

In a softbill aviary, where birds may be flying high up or perched on the ground, it is a good idea to have two sets of dishes. Change the position of the dishes on the ground as often as possible, so that no single area of the aviary becomes irreparably damaged. There are two ways of constructing the higher dishes.

One is to build a welded mesh holder 1.2-1.5m(4-5ft) above the ground onto which you can place some dishes. (If you opt for this option, place some sand directly below the holder to catch any mess). The second option is to place the food dish on a wooden platform with a lip around the edge. The lip functions as a ‘bib’ to collect the mess left by the birds.

Remember, it is very dangerous to leave old, uneaten food lying around the aviary. Fix covers about 30cm(12in) above the food and water dishes to prevent contamination from wild bird droppings and to keep the food dry.

The best place for water dishes is in the outside area of the aviary and not in the back shelter, where they can become very dusty. The dish can be very simple - a plastic bowl for softbills containing about 2.5cm(1in) of water and a galvanized metal bowl for parrots. Larger parrots, such as cockatoos, Amazons and macaws, have no difficulty in tipping over a light bowl, so fill their dish with at least 5cm(2in) of water to make it heavier.

You may find that as soon as your birds are given water, they tip it out and play with the dish until they become rather thirsty in the afternoon. To guarantee a
supply of water all day, give them a larger water bowl and, if necessary, place a clean rock in the centre so that the birds cannot knock it over. The only time your birds will not require a water dish is if there is a pond in the aviary. (A ‘pond’ here means a small, easy to clean concrete or plastic structure.) It is fine for the birds to drink from such a pond, providing you clean it out thoroughly at least three times a week.

If you keep some of the more common ground birds, you may decide to use a grain hopper, at which the birds can easily peck. Be sure to replenish the hopper once a week. Before refilling it, completely clean out all the old food, otherwise dust and crushed pellets will build up and the hopper may become blocked without you realizing it.

Keeping Macaws as pets

Many people keep macaws as pets; some species live up to 60 years or more and can therefore provide a lifetime of companionship. Their considerable size of 30-100cm(12-39in) means that macaws demand a great deal of time, attention and space. They can either be housed in a spacious outside aviary, which will need to be substantially built from highly durable materials, or alternatively, they can be kept outside in a large barrel ‘home’ with various perches in the surrounding area. Birds kept in this manner must have one winged clipped, however, to stop them flying away.

Once acclimatized, macaws can become particularly hardy birds that can remain outdoors all year round, except during severe winter conditions, when they should be locked in at night. It is essential to supply chewing material, not only to save unintended materials from destruction, but also to keep the bird healthy and contented. The blue and gold macaw is commonly kept as a caged pet due to its placid temperament, but other familiar species, such as the scarlet macaw, are not really suitable for this arrangement.

Feeding macaws is as simple, as feeding other parrots. They love all the large seeds and nuts, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, and will readily accept plenty of fruit and vegetables. Do remember that nuts are a fattening food and ration the amount you provide according to your bird’s housing arrangements.

A bird kept in a large flight or aviary, for example, can burn off any extra calories through exercise and so can be offered a larger number of nuts than one kept in an indoor cage. It is very important to monitor the diet and weight gain of your bird on a regular basis, particularly if you keep it indoors as a pet, because pet birds are especially susceptible to becoming unhealthily overweight in this way.

Compared to a human being, macaws have a mental age of a four year-old child, and so you must treat them as such. You cannot leave them in a cage in a corner of a room over a long period of time, for example, as this will cause them long-term damage. As well as being noisy, macaws can also be particularly vicious and dangerous. They can sever a human finger, for example, with their extremely powerful beaks. Therefore, treat macaws with the utmost respect. You can keep macaws on their own or in pairs. However, do not make the mistake of feeling sorry for a tame solitary bird by purchasing a mate, as it will never be tame again.

Sexing macaws can prove difficult, as there are few external differences between the sexes. Within some species, the cocks may have bigger and bolder heads, but this is not a particularly accurate method of sexing them.