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 Macaw Behaviors 
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Post Macaw Behaviors
This is a spin-off of my post in the Cockatoos section called ?Too Language (Behavior)? and is about our Greenwing. Since I can?t speak for all Macaws, I encourage others to put their 2-cents in.


Squawking ? Squawking, quite simply put, is Macaw language. It?s the way they express themselves AND get our attention.

Jungle Scream ? Our Greenwing was formerly abused and is very jumpy. If there is perceived danger around, he is the first to let us know! His alert could be as short as one scream, but may be something resembling a very loud repetitive alarm going off.

Holding Wings Out - Wings held out (away from body but not extended) and an open mouth (panting) means the bird is hot and should be moved to a cooler area and it would be a good idea to make sure water is available.

Beggar Wings ? They will hold their wings away from their bodies, although usually not extended, with the wings sort of quivering. They?ll most likely lean really hard toward the person, place or thing they want to be on or near. I don?t know if this is true of all Macaws but ours will make short little grumbling noises while holding out his beggar wings. I think many non-flighted birds do this because they can?t just take off and get to where they want to be. Although ours is flighted there are times when it seems that his brain reverts back to his pre-flight days.

Fluffed Headfeathers ? Indicates a number of things including interest in something, showing off, shock, fear, and even aggressiveness. In order to understand which you?ll have to watch the other accompanying body language.

Extended Wings ? Some people have trained their birds to ?show off? their wings and the birds will do it on command. Usually, if not for flight, our Greenwing extends his wings to warn us. If we try to touch his favorite toy, all of his feathers will stand up, he?ll rear up, extend his wings and his eyes will dilate. He will usually have his beak open and take an aggressive stance so he can dart at you with the point of his beak if he thinks it?s necessary. There?s no mistaking a macaw who is trying to warn you. You?ll know by instinct not to mess with them! I?m sure Macaws use that type of body language when playing (sparring) as well but unless you know your Macaw well, I wouldn?t chance toying with one when it is displaying in such a manner.

Stomping Foot ? This seems to be a display to show that something is our Greenwing?s property? whether it?s a perch, person, toy or food.

Beak Grinding ? This is a sign of a happy bird. Beak grinding is a normal thing around nap or bedtime.


Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:49 pm
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thats pretty close to our greenwing's behavior as well!!! Ours doesn't foot stomp at all however i have seen another greenie do that when he was out with his favorite person and i couldn't stop laughing, he really wanted to tell the world that she was his and no one was getting close.
Our GW is a big sweetie and shows his wings on command to get huge OOOH's and AAAAHH's if friends are around... sometimes even rewarding himself with a "good bird"...very fun to watch.
Our boy was not abused but has that same jungle warning cry and body posturing...they seem like a timid "breed" not very trusting of new things if it looks scary they RUN...
What a great list!!! we enjoyed reading it!


Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:29 am
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Baby Bop (BG) is the only one that does the "begger wings". He will hold onto the top of his cage with his beak and let his legs dangle while he "beggs" and usually screams until we give him what he wants...attention.

Baby Bop will fluff/raise head feathers when he's MAD, and then follows with an ear piercing scream. He kind of reminds me of Bart Simpson with the way the feathers go up. He's also the only macaw in the home to be extremely aggressive by lunging and attacking....and he just happens to be the largest, weighing just under 3 lbs. Eeeek.

Bailey (BG) usually just screams when she's agry. She doesn't lash out at anyone. She does like to play a nice game of "catch me if you can" though. Baily has a vocabulary of approx. 7 words. Bop has vocabulary of approx. 10-12 words.

Diego (MM) will raise his back feathers (just where the neck ends and back begins) when he's angry or territorial. He's very protective of me, but he's starting to become more accepting/trusting of others. Also, he will take a toy (or anything w/in reach) into his beak and slam it onto a surface, throw it up in the air and repeat when he feels threatened by someone. Does Diego Beg?...yeah, he walks to you, paces, and grunts until you give him a treat. :wink:

Diego also has a "beak-hand fettish". I haven't been able to understand this yet, but he insists that he hold onto my hand (VERY gently) while I'm playing with him or petting him. I don't know much about his past...I'm assuming that it's a "security" issue, or maybe he was weaned too soon and has psychological problems and needs mouth stimulation. ?

Diego likes to knock on everything with his beak, in a playful manner. Sometimes he'll knock on the carpet which leads to regurgitation?

He also hides under his wings. He fully extends one or both wings and lets them hang over his head while he overpreens his belly/under wings. I'm also assuming this is a "security" thing for him. ?

Diego mummbles and makes sounds, but doesn't really talk. Just recently he's associated the phone with "hello"...and he says it quite well. I'm so proud of him and the progress he's made. :D

I'm still trying to understand Diego. October 3rd made it our 6 mos. anniversary together. He's so packed full of personality...I don't know why anyone would throw him away. Never thought I could love a lil' green guy so much. :wink:


Sun Oct 10, 2004 3:10 am
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