Learn About Hyacinth Macaw Parrot - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats.
Learn about Hyacinth Macaw Parrot
One of the most unique birds out there is the Hyacinth Macaw. This is Matilda right here. Hyacinths are the biggest of the Macaws, they are a protected species in the wild. They are rather difficult to come by, a baby costs around $10,000. They are very sweet, they're called the gentle giants because they have a real good personality, they are very easy going and generally pretty friendly with people. They need a very big cage, at least about 4 feet wide. They also need a good environment, play stand, lots of things to play with, lots of things to chew on. They also need macadamia nuts as part of their diet. In the wild they eat a lot of palm nuts, and the closest we can really come here in the States is macadamia nuts. They do need palm nuts or macadamia nuts in their diet.
Birds are pretty long lived. A bird like this can have a life expectancy of up to 50-60 years, maybe even longer. They don't usually live to their life expectancy, so I would say that an average age on a bird like this would be maybe 30-40 years.
Matilda is very unique because they are very difficult to breed. They are very gentle, pretty quiet. Although when they do make noise it is pretty loud. They don't, they're not real good talkers. When Matilda talks, she says, "hello" and everyone in the store kind of laughs because it sounds so strange. There are several different types of Blue Macaws although many of them have become extinct or are almost extinct in the wild, but there are a few birds that have this coloring. This is the Hyacinth Macaw.