Blue & Gold Macaw

Ara ararauna · Psittacidae

A fifty-year commitment that needs a shed, not a cage.

Native range: Northern South America

Length: 76–86 cm
Weight: 900–1300 g
Lifespan: 50–70 years
Maturity: 4–6 years
Incubation: 27 days
Clutch: 2–3 eggs
Ring size: 14.0 mm
Fledge: 90–100 days
Weaned: 16–20 weeks
CITES: Appendix II
IUCN: LC
Taxonomic family: Psittacidae

Diet

Large-parrot pellet with substantial fresh vegetables, plus nuts as a genuine dietary component rather than a treat: macaws need a higher fat intake than smaller parrots.

Housing

300 × 180 × 250 cm as a minimum, with an 8 m flight for a breeding pair. Bar spacing 25–32 mm in heavy-gauge steel; they destroy anything lighter.

Temperament

Confident, physically powerful and highly social. Capable of severe injury to other birds and to people, without aggression being the motive.

Breeding

Slow to mature, needs a large hollow log or barrel high in the flight, and demands privacy. Two eggs is typical and the second chick often needs pulling.

Established mutations

None established. Hybrids with other Ara species are widespread and are not a breeding goal worth pursuing.

Watch for

–Beak strength: housing must be steel, not aluminium

–Fifty-year lifespan requires provision in a will

–Noise at a volume that carries kilometres

–Feather plucking and self-mutilation in isolated birds

Hybrid macaws (catalinas, harlequins) are common in the pet trade and have no place in a serious breeding programme. Keep species pure and ring them.

Sources

Run a pairing for this species Work out hatch dates Check the ring size

All twelve at a glance

Jump to another species

Species	Incubation	Ring	Clutch	Lifespan
CockatielNymphicus hollandicus	19 d	5.5 mm	4–6	15–25 years
BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus	18 d	4.0 mm	4–6	6–12 years
Peach-faced LovebirdAgapornis roseicollis	23 d	4.5 mm	4–6	10–15 years
Green-cheeked ConurePyrrhura molinae	24 d	5.5 mm	4–6	20–30 years
Indian RingneckPsittacula krameri	23 d	7.0 mm	3–5	25–35 years
Gouldian FinchChloebia gouldiae	14 d	Not recorded	4–8	5–8 years
Quaker / Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus	24 d	6.0 mm	4–6	20–30 years
Bourke's ParakeetNeopsephotus bourkii	18 d	4.0 mm	3–6	10–15 years
EclectusEclectus roratus	28 d	Not recorded	2	30–50 years
Sun ConureAratinga solstitialis	25 d	7.0 mm	3–5	20–30 years
African GreyPsittacus erithacus	28 d	11.0 mm	2–4	40–60 years
Blue & Gold MacawAra ararauna	27 d	14.0 mm	2–3	50–70 years

All 94 species, with the dates scheduled against your own birds.

Start your 14-day free trial