Macaw/Cockatoo

[KC Cameron]

I have both a female Greenwing (13 years) and a female Umbrella (15 years) - I handfed them both from very young chicks, and both are free-flighted. We got both from quality breeders, and both have had a healthy diet of first Rowdybush and now Harrisons. They are both great birds. I cannot speak for all Cockatoos or all Macaws, just mine - a small sample!

I would also like to point out both my wife ad myself work out of our home, so they see us a lot, and their cages are in the busiest part of our home. I am a magician and use both in my shows.

They are both great birds, but very different. The Umbrella likes to snuggle, and she likes to show off. She is scared of nothing (In familiar territory), including our dogs (English Mastiff and Lab) - and she should be. She has no idea how small she is . . . Kyla, the Umbrella, is very much a DIva in attitude.

Jax, my Greenwing, is more nervous but not bad. She is well aware of her size in relation to the dogs. She enjoys attention too, but is not so Diva like.

Chewing - Neither are to be trusted with furniture!
Green wing = some
Umbrella = a lot

Dusty
Greenwing = no
Umbrella = a lot

Noise
is about the same,but for different reasons. Neither has a shrill call like a conure (which I can't stand).
Umbrella = Look at me noise
Greenwing = Where are you noise

Bite - nether bite much
Greenwing = generally more of a crush or a grind
Umbrella = two prongs on the bottom and the beak tip is more of a piercing

Tail
Green wing = Long and can get in the way for training and travel cages
Umbrella = Short, easy to travel

Cuddly
Greenwing = Yes, some
Umbrella = Every oppertunity

Plucking
Greenwing = some when she reached puberty at 10, but was put on birth control and it stopped.
Umbrella = a fair amount when she reached puberty, but it has stopped*

*Our umbrella reached puberty much earlier than out Greenwing, and we knew less. I don't think it would have been worse if we, and our vet, were more knowledgable at the time. FYI, we were feeding both Roudybush and switched to Harrisons and there has been a marked difference in both their feather luster and shape as well as their personality.

It is my experience that Cockatoos in general are more prone to feather pick than macaws, but it is my belief that it doesn't need to be that way. I personally believe picking is caused by multiple factors from diet, boredom, over-stress, lack of sunlight, improper sleep, changing hormones, socialization, as well as dependency on a person/thing that is removed.

Intelligence
Greenwing = The Brain
Umbrella = Diva

Friendly to strangers
Greenwing - really friendly
Umbrella = super friendly as long as they are amazed by her!

One Person
Greenwing = shows preference, but everyone can handle her
Umbrella = Everyone can handle her, but markedly flirty with me

Trick Training
Greenwing = more food motivated then crowd motivated then personal praise. Not hard to train tricks.
Umbrella = personal praise and recognition is a strong motivation, treats, not so much. Kyla is lazy, and just wants praise or to snuggle - with the exception of flying.

Perching
Greenwing = No problems staying on the perch
Umbrella = She is an explorer, and will not stay for long on a perch w/o direct supervision

Ground
Greenwing = She is wary to be on the ground and much prefers to be above it.
Umbrella = No problem exploring the bottom of her cage or the ground. She thinks she is a "bad-ass" in familiar territory. Loves scaring our Lab - so we have to be careful.

Independence
Greenwing = fairly independent i.e. she is not needy.
Umbrella = Much more emotionally needy, but not terrible. On the other hand, she displays much more love too.

Focus
Greenwing = has a fair amount of short term focus - which is good and bad. When training, she can focus on something other than training.
Umbrella = A lot of long term focus, not much short term focus. I.e. she will focus on demolishing a 2x4, but is easily distracted to snuggle, show off or explore. Not big on learning tricks that do not stem from natural behavior.

Eating
Greenwing = will eat like a pig if we let her.
Umbrella = More dainty and picky.

Confined spaces (I am a magician!)
Greenwing = Does not generally appreciate confined spaces, and with the long tail it can be difficult
Umbrella = No problem!

I hope this helps, and I am happy to answer any questions.

[jacou1010]

I have a Male Camelot Macaw... he is about 15-16 months old, I read similar stories about puberty and aggression....at what age do Macaws mature? At what age are they considered adult? I read that male Macaws are not as moody as some of the other parrot types during sexual maturity...is that true?

[KC Cameron]

Greenwings mature around 10-11 years old - MUCH later than most parrots. I believe that macaws in general take a long time, but I am not sure.

In my experience, and in my research, it appears males are less moody than females in puberty. As I tell my audience "you know how the ladies can get!", Jax WAS very moody at puberty, and we had to put her on birth control to control her moodiness and plucking. It worked, but it was expensive. Luckily we only need 4 months worth of it. I also found that changing her diet to Harrison's from Rowdybush made a marked improvement. (I think Roudybush is a great food, My parrots seem to act and look better on Harrison's)

Until I sat in one of the "Wizard's" lectures recently, I let her feed at will. I have found that feeding her less and twice a day has made her like pre-puberty friendly almost immediately. She never was mean, but she was more stand-offish after puberty. She now is snuggly again.

On the other hand, in my experience, Macaw hybrids while very pretty, can get a bit more neurotic at puberty.

[jacou1010]

In my research...I did a lot before adopting "Ponyo" , I read that the Scarlet Macaw is the moodiest and the Blue and Gold is the friendliest. Funny thing is that my Macaw is a mixture of both. I read that the Camelot and Catalina are loving and friendly parrots...I hope the research is right! So far he is very loving although he has become more attached to me. He allows my husband to hold him and will stay quiet while with him but when he sees me he starts with the calling and all. Ponyo tolerates my girls but won't go on their arm...just as well I guess. That is my next mission to train him to trust everyone! :/

[jacou1010]

Ponyo even trusts my Maine Coon kitty more than my children (9 and 14)....he doesn't even react to my cat anymore...go figure?!?!

[KC Cameron]

One thing about parrots, you can only speak in tendencies - each individual is an individual. Much depends on breeding, food, training, socialization and environment.

[Lori]

I have just joined this forum and have been reading everything new and Old. I know this is a very old post, but I just related to everything! its so well said... I guess it just touched me, I don't know if this person is still on the forum, but thanks for some beautiful and knowing insight.

I thought I'd toss in my two cents since there hasn't been as much said from the macaw side of experience.

I have a 32 year old Blue and Gold macaw. His name is Picasso

He is loud. He is messy. He is naughty. He is destructive. He is sometimes rude. He needs lots of attention, and lots of room. I shell out thousands of dollars on things to make him happy... toys that he can completely destroy in a couple days, fancy food which he mostly throws on the floor, huge cage, outdoor aviary... stands, perches, vet visits, whatever.

My goodness, he is a chore. But I love him.

Regarding temperament, I can't say if he has changed very much from when he was a baby because I got him when he was 27. I CAN say that he was quite a mean, aggressive bird when I got him, and since I've had him he has gotten a very sweet and cuddly side. He says sweet things to me, gives me kisses, and always wants to cuddle and regurgitate for me. I think it's probably more of a handling issue than a hormone issue regarding behavior. He is only nice for me, though. Anyone else comes near him and he will become aggressive.

Time commitment - as much as possible. Picasso ALWAYS wants to be with me, and will call for me constantly if I have him shut in his cage. Unfortunately, I work in the daytime 2-4 days a week. Leaving such an intelligent, active animal in his cage all day always made me feel miserably guilty. I invested in a 10x5 outdoor aviary in a sheltered patio area, which is where he can spend the afternoon in the summertime if I am "busy" (passively watched over by other members of the family, of course). I also made sure that his cage is far more enormous than most people would say he "needed." That way I can feel content that he has tons of room to move, climb, stretch, flap, and play in the safety of his cage on those days that the weather is bad, or during the winter. I ALWAYS make sure that he spends some time outside of his cage every day, anywhere from 1-8 hours. He likes to sit on his playstand and "help" me cook or eat or read or do things on the computer.

Temperamental and screaming a lot? You betcha. If a stranger drives in, Picasso will scream. If there is company over and noise/excitement in the house, Picasso will scream. When my boyfriend is around, Picasso will scream (very jealous). If he feels ignored or neglected or confused or frustrated or happy or whatever... he will scream. And he is loud. When it's just him and me, however, he practically never screams - it's all cute conversation and sweetness. But when he DOES scream, he is LOUD. Your ears will hurt. You can hear him a mile away. I'm glad I don't have neighbors, because they might complain.

He's quite a beast. But he's MY beast. And he'll keep on being my beast forever.