Abstract
Until as recently as a few years ago, curators of bird collections took little interest in breeding macaws, but that casual attitude has shifted lately toward a serious interest in good breeding techniques. Importing restrictions on the trade of these birds, along with a ban on exports imposed by a number of countries, have caused bird curators to appreciate the importance of perpetuating the species right here in the United States, in their own zoos.
At Busch Gardens in Tampa we've been active in that effort since our opening in 1959. In those days, of course, our collection included only a small number of macaws and cockatoos, but Busch Gardens has grown over nearly a quarter of a century into one of the finest zoos in the country. Among the numerous breeding
awards we've received was the Edward Bean award for the first captive breeding of the Yellow-collared or Yellow-naped Macaw, raised in 1963. Blue and Gold Macaws were hatched in 1964 and the parent birds are still raising young, having hatched two chicks early this summer.
Scarlets were raised a few years later.
After the female lost her mate on two different occasions, we mated her again - and she's still raising chicks, with two in the nest at present. A pair of Military Macaws, used in our picture posing area, laid one egg some years ago. We hatched the chick in an incubator, but were unsuccessful in raising it. After giving this pair its own breeding cage, we waited six years before the female laid eggs and hatched a chick. Patience can be an important factor
in breeding and raising birds.
Of the twelve species of macaws in the bird collection at Busch Gardens, nine have raised young. Eight species were raised in each of the years 1979 and 1980, including the Blue and Gold, Scarlet, Military, Green-winged, Severe, Illiger's, Yellow-collared and Noble Macaws. In 1981 we successfully hatched and are now handraising our first Hyacinth chick. It's doubtful that any other zoo has raised this many species of macaw.
As I mentioned, patience is a vital component of any bird curator's breeding program, but there are other useful tips that can make the job easier, too.
Fiberoptiscopes, for instance, can save valuable time in determining whether birds are old enough for breeding. After
laying infertile eggs for several years, one Green-winged has been paired with a different, more mature mate, and is now producing chicks.
Other medical procedures may be helpful in the breeding process, as well. When two macaws paired up in the past, we assumed they were a mated pair - but sometimes this proved to be untrue. Now all of our macaws are surgically sexed before they're placed in cages with nesting facilities.
Those who believe macaws require large aviaries for mating would be surprised to see the cages Busch Gardens uses for its highly-productive breeding program. Each unit of the macaw breeding cages measures about three feet square, stands seven feet high and houses one mated pair of large macaws. Nesting facilities consist of two metal wash tubs wired together at their open ends, with a small opening cut in the top tub. Obviously, roomy accommodations aren't the most vital aspect to consider when breeding parrots.
Nutrition, on the other hand, is a crucial part of bird breeding. In fact, good nutrition may be largely responsible for a great number of successful breedings.
A busy setting doesn't seem to hamper some hatchings. All of the Dwarf Macaws at Busch Gardens have raised young in sidewalk display cages, constantly on view for the enjoyment of park visitors.
Behind-the-scenes breeding programs in zoological parks heralds a welcome trend away from the importing of parrots. The day will come when imports will cease almost entirely, and successful breeding programs will be of critical value to zoos in the United States. We have recently received on breeding loan from Parrot Jungle a male Lear's Macaw, which we paired with our female, in hopes of raising young. All zoos should seriously consider breeding loans to avoid extinction of some species - especially those that are endangered.
Busch Gardens has raised nearly 200 macaws in the past seventeen years. Twenty-six were raised in 1979 and 27 in 1980. In the next few years this number should increase considerably, with plans calling for more breeding facilities in the near future.