The Macaw group today consists of 17 species. Although the variety varies great in size and coloration they all are basically the same in physical characteristics. They are known for the long tails, slender bodies and broad heads. The Blue and Gold Macaw is the most gentlest and loyal of the Macaws in my opinion.
They are the far most seen and kept of the Macaw family. The Blue and Gold Macaw is very intelligent. They are very loud and can be very destructive. If you live in a apartment complex or a small mobile home park this is definetly not the bird for you! Even though they are very loud and can be very destructive they are one of the sweetest birds. If you are considering getting one of these birds you MUST be able to spend quality time with the bird. If you don't have the time to spend with the bird then by all means don't consider purchasing one of these wonderful birds! If you don't have the time to spend with one then your bird will become stressed and it will bring on some bad behaviours such as being even more destructive and anti-social. We spend alot of quality time with our bird Prissy. On a average day she gets about 4-5 hours of attention and she makes darn sure she gets it and if you get to busy and can't go and get her down..well no problem..she will come and find you! These birds can live up to 75-100 years if taken care of properly so always take that into consideration when thinking about buying one. They will more than likely out live you and will need someone to take care of them if something should happen to you or your spouse.
Their overall lenth is about 34 inches (86cm). So we keep Prissy's wings clipped back so she isn't able to fly about in the house and hurt herself. They also need a very large cage in order to acccomodate their size. Our bird doesn't spend much time inside her cage. She is usually on top playing or down somewhere with one of us. We can't close her up in it because she decided she didn't want doors on her cage anymore and removed all the bolts until the doors finally fell off. Yes they are very clever! When she is down we have to keep a very close eye on her because she loves to get into everything and LOVES to chew on things. Especially wood! When she sees wood she is like a kid seeing a ice cream cone! We have her cage where she can see what everyone is doing in the livingroom and the kitchen. I am always cleaning up birdseed and food off the floor so if your a picky housekeeper make sure you have your bird where you don't mind it making a mess because boy they can sure make them! My husband had to place full sheets of plexi glass in behind her cage. We just bought a new home back in June of 2000 and Prissy tore up the wall in behind her cage. So he put the plexi glass in behind it after replacing what she tore up and now she can't get to the wall and it also protects the wall from droppings and food particles she throws around and its really easy to clean up also! She didn't like it at first but she has gotten use to it and likes seeing her reflection in it when the lights are on.
Their colors are amazing! Most of the upper body, from the crown of the head reaching down the back and over the upperwings and tail is a beautiful cobalt blue and the undertail converts are also cobalt blue. The front of the crown is a bluish green and the forehead is green. The undersides of the body are all gold in color which covers the entire breast, stomach,thighs and it goes all the way up to the bare skin on their face. They also have a big black patch under their throat. the bare skin on the sides of the face have little tiny black feathers that make little small lines along their face. They also have a big black bill.
Their diet consists of mostly seeds and nuts, but for the proper nutrtion they must also receive regularly a variety of fruits and veggies and of course fresh water! Fruits should be given atleast twice a day and remember fresh veggies must be given in limited quantity. Some birds are different and mine didn't care much for fruits or veggies in the beginning. My bird isn't big on fruits still. Also they can indulge in human foods also. A good rule of thumb here is if it is healthy enough for you than more than likely it is healthy for your bird also. My bird likes to have scrambled eggs and toast or bisuits (non buttered of course) on Sunday mornings along with the rest of the family.
These birds are capable of talking although their speaking abilities are not like a African Grey but they can be taught to say some words. Prissy says uh oh, bye bye, whats up, shut up, Momma and what (?) She also has her own vocabulary that we aren't sure what she is saying and not to sure we really want to know..she seems to do all this when she is upset about something or we are putting her back up on her cage. They are like having a toddler in the house again. Always demanding attention and getting into things! Prissy loves to be scratched behind the head and under the wings. She just eats this up and she will roll over onto her back and let you scratch her belly like a big ole baby or a dog. They say if you can get one of these birds to lay in your arms like a baby would on their back it means they have total trust in you because it is a awkward position for them to be in due to their size.
I hope this may have answered some of your questions you may have had about Blue and Golds. I had tons of questions about these birds before I purchased one and I was able to ask questions to other Blue and Gold owners before my purchase and even today I stil have questions I ask. There is so much to learn about these fascinating birds and I only covered some of the things. I would suggest visiting several other links to see what other people have to say about them before purchasing one and it is also fun to read about everyone elses experiences with these wonderful birds!
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