Harlequin Macaw: Bird Species Profile

The harlequin macaw is an attractive, common hybrid parrot that makes a wonderful pet for the fitting individual. Macaws are needy birds, requiring skilled or devoted parrot handlers. This full-sized macaw tends to do effectively with households; these birds thrive on socialization and loads of interplay with different birds or individuals. They’re good talkers, pleasant, and have slightly amusing personalities.

Origin and Historical past

The phrase “harlequin” has two meanings which are very applicable for this chicken. In a single sense, it refers to a joker or clown, which completely displays its character. It could additionally imply “variations of colour and sample,” an apt description for this lovely, rainbow-colored parrot.

Solely bred in captivity, it is vitally uncommon to seek out harlequin macaws within the wild. This chicken is called a first-generation hybrid as a result of it comes from two “true” species of macaw, the blue and gold macaw and the greenwing macaw. The result’s a chicken with the coloring and traits of each mum or dad birds.

The harlequin can be crossed with different true and hybrid macaws to supply second-generation hybrids. The commonest macaws which have the harlequin’s genes embrace:

• Fiesta macaw: Crossed with a Camelot macaw
• Harligold macaw: Crossed with a blue and gold macaw
• Harlequin x shamrock macaw: Crossed with a shamrock macaw (hybrid)
• Jubilee macaw: Crossed with a greenwing macaw
• Maui dawn macaw: Crossed with a Catalina macaw (hybrid)
• Quatro macaw: Crossed with a ruby macaw (hybrid)
• Tropicana macaw: Crossed with a scarlet macaw

Temperament

Hybrids just like the harlequin macaw are “one of the best of each worlds.” The mum or dad species of the harlequin often have laid-back, affectionate personalities with good speech talents and excessive intelligence. They are often taught enjoyable methods like waving, dancing, fetching, and extra.

Whereas no two birds are the identical, they’re usually described as enjoyable, pleasant, and considerably comical. Socialized with individuals from the beginning, these macaws will seemingly benefit from the firm of many various people all through their life. You don’t want your birds to turn into one-person birds or develop a choice for both males or girls, which might occur if they’ve restricted publicity to at least one or the opposite.

A harlequin macaw could have moments of frustration and turn into cranky. But, it’s a wonderful selection for individuals who would love a big chicken with a good mood and calm demeanor.

Speech and Vocalizations

All parrots are usually loud, however macaws are the poster-birds for ear-shattering vocalizations. If you don’t need your parrot to awaken you early each morning by screaming on the prime of its lungs, don’t get a macaw. (On the upside, you’ll by no means miss an early morning flight when you’ve got considered one of these birds as an alarm clock!) Additionally, if you’re searching for a conversational parrot, macaws are the best way to go. These birds can develop a vocabulary of 15 or so phrases with coaching.

Harlequin Macaw Colours and Markings

Harlequin macaws have a large variation of their colours and patterns. They’re usually mistaken for Catalina macaws, that are one other hybrid with related coloration.

A harlequin’s coloring relies upon totally on if the blue and gold or greenwing was the male mum or dad. Males have dominant genes. This distinction is most prevalent within the colour of a harlequin’s breast and stomach. With a blue and gold father, the breast can be red-orange. If the daddy is a greenwing, the breast feathers can be a lighter orange.

Most harlequins have placing tones of inexperienced and blue on their backs. In addition they are likely to have gold feathers on the underside of their tail feathers. Women and men look the identical, and with out genetic or surgical sexing, it is almost inconceivable to know the intercourse of harlequins.

Caring for the Harlequin Macaw

Harlequin macaws require loads of socialization and dealing with, so anticipate to spend time with the chicken every day. A macaw that turns into bored or feels uncared for can act out by biting, destroying issues round the home, or resort to self-mutilation and feather plucking.

These birds want a big cage that’s a minimum of 5-foot sq. and 8-foot excessive positioned in a draft-free location. It ought to embrace a perch and loads of stimulating toys to maintain it occupied whereas confined. The cage must be cleaned a minimum of each two months or extra usually if it will get dirty faster. Your chicken will recognize water to wash in in addition to occasional misting.

Earlier than speeding out to purchase a harlequin macaw, assume significantly concerning the dedication concerned in protecting such a chicken. Not solely can these birds stay for 5 a long time or extra, however the prices of veterinary payments, high-quality feed, toys, and cages add up rapidly. When you really feel that you simply would not have the ability to present a chicken with one of the best of all the pieces, contemplate holding off on adopting one till you’ll be able to.

Frequent Well being Issues

Typically talking, if you happen to take excellent care of your macaw, it’ll stay wholesome. Nonetheless, even with one of the best hygiene, some illnesses can nonetheless happen. There are additionally behavioral issues that they’ll develop. In case your chicken will get bored or feels uncared for by you, it might resort to feather plucking or pores and skin choosing.

A number of the extra widespread diseases seen in macaws:

• Proventricular dilation illness, a digestive system situation additionally known as macaw losing illness
• Psittacosis, a bacterial an infection additionally known as chlamydiosis or parrot fever
• Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections
• Beak malformations in chicks

Eating regimen and Diet

Macaws are a really excessive vitality chicken. For good well being, they’ll want meals wealthy in oils and energy. Within the wild, macaws eat quite a lot of palm nuts, seeds, and fruit.

Feed harlequin macaws a food regimen that features a high-quality seed and formulated pellet combine. It is also necessary to incorporate every day servings of recent bird-safe vegatables and fruits. Every macaw, relying on its measurement, will eat about 1/2 to three/4 cup of parrot combine and about 1/2 to three/4 cup of fruit and greens per day. It’ll additionally want recent consuming water day-after-day.

Present quite a lot of fruits on a rotating schedule, equivalent to apples, pears, plums, cherries, grapes, oranges, bananas, mangos, papayas, and even berries, equivalent to strawberries and blueberries. Feed greens like carrots, candy potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, darkish inexperienced leafy veggies, many backyard greens, and even dandelions and chickweed. By no means feed avocado; it’s poisonous to birds.

To make meals prep extra manageable, you may make the fruit and vegetable salad forward of time and portion out every day’s rations utilizing the “chop” idea.

Train

Pet parrots are liable to weight problems and harlequin macaws want loads of train. Actions assist keep their bodily well being and offers much-needed psychological stimulation as effectively. You may preserve your harlequin macaw occupied by dealing with it every day and offering it with loads of toys.

Put together to put aside a minimal of two to 4 hours per day for the supervision of the chicken whereas it performs exterior of its cage. As well as to stopping weight acquire, enough train helps stave off boredom.

Outdoors of the cage, a sturdy play stand can turn into your chicken’s favourite place to hang around. It could take just a few instances to remind it that that is the place it must be, however the birds are sensible and might decide up on it rapidly. It’ll benefit from the view and have the ability to really feel a part of the household.

They thrive on being a part of a flock (on this case, your loved ones); it is a good suggestion to attempt to embrace your chicken in as many household actions as potential.

The place to Undertake or Purchase a Harlequin Macaw

Pricing for harlequin macaws ranges from $3,500 to $5,000, relying on if the chicken is hand-tamed and the popularity of the breeder. As this chicken is a long-lived chicken, chances are you’ll discover this chicken listed by adoption businesses and rescues. These birds could outlive their unique house owners, and dwelling conditions change for some house owners who can not care for his or her macaw.

• Free Flight
• Undertake a Pet
• Hen Breeders

When you’re going the breeder route, make it possible for the breeder is respected by asking how lengthy they have been breeding and dealing with macaws. When choosing your chicken, search for the indicators of a wholesome chicken, equivalent to vivid eyes, clear feathers, and full crops.

Extra Pet Hen Species and Additional Analysis

When you’re focused on related species, try:

• Catalina Macaw Species Profile
• Scarlet Macaw Species Profile
• Mini Macaw Species Profile

In any other case, try all of our different macaw species profiles.