Green-winged / Greenwing Macaws / Red and Green Macaw
Ara chloroptera
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The Red-and-green Macaw or Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) is often mistaken for the Scarlet Macaw because of its predominantly red feathering.
Description:
Length: 26- 36 inches / 90 cmWingspan: 41 - 49 inches
Weight: 900 - 1700 g
The breast of the Red-and-green Macaw is bright red, but the lower feathers of the wing are green. In addition, the Red-and-green Macaw has characteristic lines under the eyes like most larger macaws, but these markings on the Red-and-green Macaw are bright red. Interestingly enough, the Scarlet Macaw does not have these markings. It is second only in size to the Hyacinth Macaw, the largest bird of the macaw family.
Red-and-green Macaws as Pets:
Some macaw owners and experts call the Green-winged Macaw the "gentle giant", as it is larger in size than the Scarlet Macaw and Blue-and-yellow Macaw, but has a more docile nature which often makes it a more desirable pet than the other two popular species.
Bird experts often advise those interested in obtaining a macaw as a pet to educate themselves extensively about these birds prior to obtaining one, as they require more attention than a dog or cat .
They require large space due to large size and can be trained to talk - although they are not considered very good mimics. They are very demanding and have a tendency to become agressive or pluck.
Macaw Owner Penny (her birds are featured above) describes her experience with her companion birds as follows: "My [...] Macaw [...] Rosie is now 14 yrs. old. She is never in a cage. She sleeps on a perch next to my bed, eats at the table, watches TV in the living room and has a 6 ft. long perch on the front porch. She also loves car rides. She rides on the passenger seat and sings and dances to the radio. I took her to Florida last year and she loved it I believe as much as I did. Then I have Pepper, another Greenwing, who is 6 yrs.old who came with a little boy Triton Cockatoo named Baby, who is also 6. I have had them for about 8 months. Pepper up until about four months ago had never talked or was never willing to leave the cage. Finally she has begun to be very sweet and comical. She still has an issue about bathing but she will come around Baby is a sweet and a piece of work. He loves to cuddle and laugh. He also has changed a lot since he came. He loves to talk and makes funny little noises. At first, he did nothing but scream and destroy anything and everything he could get a hold of - but not anymore. I love my birds." (PS. Penny also shares her home with 2 dogs, 7 cats, 1 mouse and 1 rabbit)
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Macaw ownership generally presents multiple challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined macaws will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires.
They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation. Not everybody can tolerate the natural loud call of a macaw and even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your pet macaw.
Overall, it is important to guide parrot behavior, but even more so if your feathered family member is a magnificent and powerful macaw.
- AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets
, please visit the following websites for information:
- Macaw General Information
- Procuring your Parrot
- Recommended Breeders
- Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy
- Housing Your Bird
- Bird Nutrition
- Parrot Products
Genus: Scientific: Ara ... English: Macaws ... Dutch: Echte Aras ... German: Eigentliche Aras ... French: Aras
Species: Scientific: Ara chloropterus aka Ara chloroptera ... English: Green-winged Macaw ... Dutch: Groenvleugelara ... German: Grünflügelara, Dunkelroterara ... French: Ara aux ailes vertes
CITES II - Endangered Species ... Distribution: Eastern Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Mato Grosso Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Northern Argentina
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
