Red-shouldered Macaws, also called Hahn’s Macaws, are known for being the smallest type of macaws. They are primarily colored green throughout their bodies, and they also have a cap of feathers on their foreheads that are a mix of green and blue. They are distinguishable for the bright red found on the underside of their wings, hence, their nickname of being called red-shouldered.

The beak of these birds is black with a white to beige accent on the upper side. Their eyes are a seemingly burnt orange color made even more beautiful by white rings in their eyes. A little too big for their small bodies, the red-shouldered macaws have oversized black feet that make their moves nimble. Their two toes point toward the back while the other two toes point toward the point to help them climb and get their food.

PK Halder gives a brief description of Red-shouldered Macaws below. Read this article and get all the knowledge about this attractive bird.

Red shouldered macaw

Availability and Natural Habitat

They are usually found across the territories of Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana. But, their natural habitat varies per subspecies. Hahn’s Macaw commonly occupies Northern Amazon, Northeastern Brazil, and Venezuela. The Noble Macaw is usually found in Northeastern Brazil and Southern Amazon. Lastly, the Long-winged Macaw is commonly found in Northern Bolivia, Southeastern Peru, and Central Brazil.

These birds are often found living in open-wooded habitats like plantations, open bush savannahs, forest-fringed savannahs, and palm groves. In the wild, they tend to form small communities where they stay quiet.

Behaviour, Exercise, and Training

The great thing about taking care of red-shouldered macaws is how sociable and intelligent they are. These birds respond well to training, and they enjoy various forms of mental stimulation. Teaching these macaws some tricks would be great. And new ones should be introduced continuously throughout their lives.

Though not every species of parrots are gifted to talk, red-shouldered macaws are gifted in this specific skill. With effort and patience, a red-shouldered macaw can be trained to develop an impressive vocabulary of hundreds of words. These birds are even gifted with a clear voice that humans can easily understand.

The red-shouldered macaws are also gifted in being able to fly long distances every day. When they are kept in captivity, their owners should also consider giving them some time out of their cage to walk, run, exercise, stretch, play, and fly to their heart’s content. If you want to keep your pet red-shouldered macaw healthy, at least two hours of supervised playtime out of their cage can do them much good.

With these red-shouldered macaws, it would be best to ignore their undesirable behaviors, including excessive noise, instead of hurting them by scolding. At the same time, macaw owners must make it a habit of rewarding good behavior and great moments of your little bird. Soon, this rewarding method will be picked up by your pet, and they will make it a point to please their keepers.

Food and Eating Habits

The red-shouldered macaw must be fed with a diet that consists of a seed mix, high-quality pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Feeding these birds is an enjoyable thing to watch because of how eager they are whenever they take their meals.

These birds enjoy eating broccoli, carrots, chili peppers, squash, and dark green vegetables like spinach and kale. On the other hand, the fruits that they love eating are apples, bananas, figs, oranges, peaches, and pineapples. Just make sure that their cages are cleaned after they feed, especially on the juicy fruits that have liquid discharge that is sticky and will attract insects.

As these birds have a very varied diet, remember to introduce new foods slowly to make sure that they will appreciate all forms of food that they will eat.

Though these macaws can eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables, never feed them with avocados, chocolate, and alcoholic beverages as these are toxic to their bodies.

Breeding

The breeding season of red-shouldered macaws starts during February or March and can last until June or July. If you are considering to learn how to breed these birds, you should be prepared to deal with the noise that these birds can produce. Their voices can still be carried even in distances, and if you have neighbors or housemates that are sensitive to sound, you might want to rethink this project.

The red-shouldered macaws must be provided with a breeding log that is as long as 8 inches or a nesting box with the dimensions of 8 inches by 8 inches by 24 inches.

Upon breeding, a clutch of these birds consists of about 4 to 6 eggs, and the incubation period before hatching would take about 23 to 25 days. Their young begin to fledge when they are about 2 months old. And they are independent about one week after leaving the nesting box.

Common Health Problems

Like other species of macaw, the red-shouldered macaws are prone to feather plucking, self-mutilation, nutritional disorders, overgrown beaks, and a wide variety of diseases like Macaw Wasting Syndrome. For a healthy and thriving red-shoulder macaw, make sure that their living area is clean. They have a well-balanced diet, and that they receive regular examinations with their veterinarian.

Reference

https://birdscoo.com/care/macaw/red-shouldered