Illiger's Macaws (Maracana) - Illiger's Mini-Macaws
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The Illiger's Macaw or Illiger's Mini Macaw (Maracana) is endemic to eastern Brazil, Mato Grosso in Brazil, Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina; where it can be found in coastal forest areas up to 3300 feet. Sometimes they can be observed foraging in grain or maize fields. Their natural diet consists of seeds, fruits, nuts and berries.
This macaw is endangered in its own habitat as it is destroyed by deforestation. For this reason, to preserve this species for future generations, every effort should be made to place any wild-caught Illigers into a well-managed breeding program to allow it to contribute to the gene pool of captive populations.
They reach sexual maturity at 2 to 4 years and can live up to 50 to 60 years.
Description:
The Illiger's macaw is a small macaw, averaging 16 to 17 inches (40 to 41 cm) in length and weighing around 265 grams. They have a black bill, bare cheek regions and a long tail.
Their plumage is mostly green. The forehead and sides of abdomen and lower back orange-red to red. The crown is blue; the head, nape, and cheeks are greenish-blue; the wings are blue with blue primary-coverts and bluish-green edges; and the under wing-coverts olive-green. The tail feathers are blue with reddish-brown tips and olive-yellow underside.
Females have less red coloration than males. Their typical Macaw naked facial patch is lightly striped with very fine feather lines, and the iris is orange-brown. The bill is black and Illiger's Macaws have flesh colored legs.
Immature Illiger's Macaws have paler plumage than adults, less red on the forehead, and horn colored edges to the bill.
Illiger's Macaws as Pets:
Illigers are easier to keep than larger macaws because of their small size. Pet owners enjoy them for their intelligence and clowny personality. Like many parrots, they are very inquisitive and have to investigate everything they see. They are heavy chewers and they are not particularly choosy about what they chew -- your furniture, electric wiring - anything is fair game. For this reason, training is very important, as well as understanding that your home needs to be bird-proofed. Electric wiring needs to be hidden or protected (as even trained parrots occasionally "forget their manners" and you need to protect them from getting hurt, as well protect your home from electric fires caused by damaged cables). Aside from this habit and their harsh macaw calls, Illiger's Miniature Macaws make sweet and friendly pets.
Hand-raised Illigers are usually quite tame and very social. They usually get along very well with other birds. A lone Illiger is quite a sorry sight for those who understand its social personality. It is best not to keep them singly to avoid depression and loneliness. Ideally they should be kept in a multi-bird household, or they should be kept in pairs. They enjoy a constant companion and playful friend. If you don't want to get into breeding, get a couple of birds of the same sex (make sure they have been reliably sexed, either DNA or surgically). DNA sexing is pretty inexpensive and easy to do.
If you do have true male / female combination, you are likely to end up with chicks (refer to the section on breeding below); and since Illiger's Macaws have become so endangered, captive breeding is encouraged, provided one is capable of meeting the requirements and demands of such endeavors.
They are very capable flyers and outside the confines of a cage, you might watch their soaring, diving and dropping.
To prevent boredom it is important that they be given plenty of toys to play with and chew. Wooden chew toys are usually a hit with this species as this will satisfy their need to chew. You have to understand that in the wild, they spend a good time of the day chewing on branches, as a way of "customizing" their environment or they may chew on a tree trunk hole to make it a suitable nesting site.
Illiger's Macaws are usually described as medium-noisy. They sentinel / alarm call is quite shrill and loud. They enthusiastically greet their owners and visitors with a raucous croak.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Macaw ownership generally presents multiple challenges, such as:
Lunging:
Macaws often lunge at people, especially strangers. The immediate reaction by those "under attack" teaches the macaw that it can control humans with threat behaviors.
Experts believe that lunging rarely is about aggression, but macaws use it as a test and as later on as a game.
Regurgitation:
Sexually mature macaws regurgitate enthusiastically for their mate (human or feathered). It is best to discourage, not punish, this habit. Note: Regurgitating can also signal a medical condition, like a yeast infection in the crop.
Excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life.
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. Undisciplined macaws will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. More on chewing.
Biting:
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. More on biting.
Noise:
Macaws are naturally noisy - their natural voicing does not constitute a behavioral problem. People who are sensitive to noise shouldn't even consider a parrot as a pet. Trying to suppress parrot vocalizations usually increases it. People often give increased attention to screaming parrots trying to get them to be quiet. It takes no time at all for a parrot to realize that screaming will get your attention. Even though the natural call of a macaw can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your pet macaw. More on "screaming."
Macaws are extremely food motivated, making food rewards a good training tool. Provide your pet with a treat for doing what you want him or her to do - this will potentially prevent many problems. For example, training a macaw to climb on a stick can prevent problems later when the macaw might become territorial around the cage. You can safely remove a stick-trained macaw from his cage and place it on a playtop prior to servicing the cage, thereby avoiding any aggression.
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.
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
- Breeders:
- Click here for a Breeders Index ... Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- Breeders:
- The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy ... Housing Your Bird ... Bird Nutrition ... Parrot Products
To accommodate their need to exercise, Illiger's Macaw pairs should ideally be set up in a spacious outdoor aviary of nine by five by six feet, with an indoor shelter, and should be kept above 60 degrees Fahrenheit until acclimatized, when they can tolerate down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The breeding season usually begins in December (later in colder climates) and may go on until June or July. In the wild they breed from March to June.
Illiger's Macaws are generally good breeders and may produce 2 to 3 clutches a year, averaging 1 to 3 eggs that are incubated for about 29 days. The young fledge at about 11 weeks. In the wild, they remain with the parents for up to a year.
Illiger's Macaws are very shy while breeding and prefer a dark quiet room or shelter. Provide a nesting box of eight and a half by 16 by 12 inches with a small opening of about 3 inches. It's best not to disturb them or inspect the nesting box, as Illiger's Macaw may damage their eggs in fright if you do. The young fledge about 12 weeks after hatching and should be removed at that time as some parents that are eager to start another clutch may severely pluck them in an effort to force them into independence. Also, handraising chicks and frequently handling them will result in tame macaws for the pet market.
- Info on weaning chicks
Parent birds needs calcium supplements at all times, but especially so before and during the breeding season.
Diet:
Illiger's Macaws should be fed a wide variety of food. Like all parrots, Illiger's Macaws pick up food in their claws and eat it from there. They are quite finicky and will not eat food, if they are bored with it. They should be provided with fresh water at all times.
- Info on macaw nutrition
Taxonomy:
Genus: Scientific: Ara ... English: Macaws ... Dutch: Echte Aras ... German: Eigentliche Aras ... French: Aras ... Species: Scientific: Ara maracana ... English: Illiger's Macaw ... Dutch: Illigers Ara, Maracana Ara ... German: Rotrückenara, Maracana Ara ... French: Ara d'illiger ... CITES I - Protected Species
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots
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