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Blue throated macaw pair
in a playful mood
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Blue-throated macaws come from the tropical
savannahs and woodlands of Central Bolivia
and occasionally have been found in Argentina.
These macaws are dependant upon palm trees,
which are destroyed to make cattle grazing
land or cropland. Habitat destruction has ravaged
their numbers and it is believed that there
are fewer than 200-300 birds left in the wild.
This makes captive breeding quite important,
as it remains the largest hope for the future
of this macaw species.
Blue-throated macaws are often mistaken for the Blue and Gold macaw.
They are somewhat different in appearance however and somewhat smaller
in size, ranging between 29-32 inches in length. These macaws have a
teal-blue throat, forehead, neck, tail and wings with matching feather
stripes over a naked face patch. These blue green feathers have a stunning
metallic sheen. They have yellow wing undersides, bodies and breasts
and a narrow, black, specially adapted, chisel shaped beak with long
lower jaws that allow them to scoop the pulp out from palm fruits.
This rare macaw makes a wonderful companion bird and has a loving, undemanding,
docile personality. These birds are friendly, curious and tend to be
surprisingly calm in social situations. They are "monkey" birds
and it is not unusual to find them hanging from one toenail while eating
a nut from their other foot. Blue-throateds enjoy human and avian interaction
and are very mellow and docile enjoying hands-on interaction and affection
with their people. They are also quite able to entertain themselves and
will entertain you for hours with their crazy antics. These macaws are
ideal for the beginner or as apartment birds as they do not scream like
other macaws and rarely, if ever, bite, choosing to flee rather than
fight if they feel threatened. They are good talkers and can learn quite
a vocabulary. One unusual feature about these birds is that they blush
bright red around the cere area and the area adjacent to the mandible
when they are excited, creating a red stripe.
Blue-throateds are avid wood chewers and need plenty of wood to help
prevent boredom. It should be noted that they are expert mechanics and
can easily open just about anything. Unless your cage is very well designed
expect that your blue-throated will find a way out unless the cage is
padlocked!
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