Red-bellied Macaws
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The Red-bellied Macaw, Orthopsittaca manilata, is a large, colorful parrot, the only member of the genus Orthopsittaca.
It is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America, from Colombia and Trinidad south to Peru and central Brazil. Its habitat is forest and swamps with Moriche Palms. They roost communally in Moriche Palms, and large numbers can be seen at the roost sites at dawn and dusk. Although locally common, in places it has been adversely affected by clearing of the palms for use as posts, or to allow cattle ranching, and by capture for the pet trade.
Description:
The Red-bellied Macaw is about 46 cm long and weighs from 300 to 370 g.
It is mainly green and has the pointed, graduated tail typical of macaws. It has a red belly patch, blue forehead and upper wings, and a grey tint to the breast. The underwings and undertail are dull yellow. The face has bare yellow skin. Sexes are alike; the main difference between ages is that adults have a black bill, but in young birds it is yellowish.
Red-bellied Macaws make high-pitched screams.
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
Diet:
In the wild, they eat the fruit and seeds of palm trees, especially the Moriche Palm.
Breeding:
Like most parrots, the Red-bellied Macaw lays two white eggs in a tree cavity, usually a Moriche Palm.
Genus: Scientific: Ara ... English: Macaws ... Dutch: Echte Aras ... German: Eigentliche Aras ... French: Aras 
Species: Scientific: Ara manilata ... English: Red-bellied Macaw ... Dutch: Roodbuikara ... German: Rotbauchara, Manilata Ara ... French: Ara à ventre rouge
CITES II - Endangered Species
Distribution: Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, Andes, Peru, Bolivia, Mato Grosso, Bahia
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots ... The Mysterious Macaw
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
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