Blue and Gold Macaw

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

A fifty-year scream with a good vocabulary

Blue-and-gold macaws are Ara ararauna. Adults are about 30 to 34 inches and 2 to 3 pounds. They commonly reach 50 to 60 years or more, care is expert, the noise is very high, and talking is excellent. All four of those are true at once. The talking is why people want one. The volume and the calendar are why so many adults end up in rescues.

A fair cage is at least 36 by 48 by 60 inches. That is a minimum, not a life. The bird needs a play stand, a shower, and hours out, in a room without ceiling fans, nonstick fumes, or an open door. Pellets, vegetables, fruit, and a measured amount of nuts are the diet. Heavy metal from a cheap toy or a stained-glass lamp is a real poisoning. Chew toys have to be bird-safe wood and metal.

Two people, one bird, a clinic already chosen

A macaw this size bites hard enough to injure. Handle with the understanding that a hormonal adult may prefer one person and attack another. Never keep one where a child is the handler. Have an avian vet from AAV before you need a beak trim or a reproductive emergency. A quiet, fluffed macaw is urgent. Start with the quiet bird guide.

Blue-and-gold macaw questions

How long do blue-and-gold macaws live?

50 to 60 years or more. A baby macaw is a companion for the rest of a person's working life, and often beyond it.

Are they good apartment birds?

No. Noise is very high. A macaw scream is a neighborhood event. The cage minimum of 36 by 48 by 60 inches is already larger than many rooms can spare, and the bird still needs time out.

What do they eat?

Pellets, vegetables, fruit, and some nuts. Nuts belong in the diet, not as the whole bowl. A macaw fed only sunflower seed gets fat and short of vitamins.