Abstract
Within the genus Ara is a group of birds which is often overlooked by those who think of themselves as macaw lovers. These birds are often called ''Dwarf Macaws.'' However this term is somewhat misleading to those who are unfamiliar with these birds since all are naturally occurring species and not developed minatures like teacup poodles.
Unlike the more well known members of the genus, dwarf macaws are quite small, ranging in size from twelve to eighteen inches. All are basically green birds with accents of color on the head, neck and/ or shoulders. They are attractive birds with interesting personalities. Like all Ara macaws they have the lores and portions of the face unfeathered which differentiates even the smallest from the Aratinga conures. They are also monomorphic requiring surgical sexing to be sure of getting true pairs. The group is comprised of six species and five subspecies, though according to Forshaw two of the subspecies, A. n. longipennis and A. s. castaneifrons are doubtful. Beginning with the the smallest they are:
Hahn's macaw (A. nobtlis nobtlis) The noble macaw (A. nobilis cumanensis and A. nobilis longipennis) The yellow-collared macaw (A.
auracollis)
Coulan's macaw (A. coulani)
The red-bellied macaw (A. manilata) The severe macaw (A. severa severa
and A. seuera castaneifrons)
Hahn's macaw is only about twelve inches in length, not much larger than a jenday or sun conure. There is a wash of blue on the crown and forehead. The bend of the wing, carpal edge and greater underwing coverts are scarlet. The bare facial area is white and quite small. The feet are grayish-black and both mandibles are black distinguishing it from the noble macaw. They are better proportioned than the noble macaw. Hahn's macaws are fairly quiet. Their vocalizations are not entirely unpleasant, having some variety unless the birds are disturbed.
The noble macaw is slightly larger, about thirteen inches. Though only about one inch longer, it has a much larger appearance since a greater proportion of its length is body. Most of the birds I have seen have more red on the shoulders than do Hahn's macaws. But the real distinguishing feature is the upper mandible which is white. Perhaps it is the white upper mandible which makes the noble macaw appear rather top heavy although in the birds I have seen the upper mandible is considerably wider than it is in Hahn's macaws. Unfortunately, I have found noble macaws to be a good deal noisier than Hahn's macaws. Their sound is very similiar to that of blue-crowned conures.
The yellow-collared macaw is perhaps the most striking of the group. It is
about sixteen inches in length. The forehead, crown are greenish black. This contrasts nicely with the bright yellow band on the nape which gives the bird its common name. The primaries are blue and the tail is maroon broadly tipped with blue. The feet are pink in adults and greyish-pink in immature birds. Both mandibles are black, the upper being tipped with a light horn color. Yellow-collared macaws are probably the easiest of the dwarf macaws to work with. Wild caught adult birds seem less nervous than those of other species and many pairs have nested readily. They are unfortunately one of the noisier birds in the group.
Illiger's macaw is somewhat rare in the United States. It is about the same size as the yellow-collared macaw, approximately sixteen and a half inches but is more heavily bodied, giving it a larger appearance. The crown is blue and the forehead is scarlet. There is a patch of red on the abdomen which is usually V-shaped. Both mandibles are black. The feet are pink with the nails being black. The naked facial skin is a pale yellow or creamy white. Illiger's macaws in the wild are a forest dwelling species. They are extremely susceptible to habitat destruction. Any disturbance at all in their habitat has an immediate effect on their populations. This has been a significant factor in the reduction of their range. Illiger's macaws have a captivating personality. They are extremely animated birds moving with sharp quick motions. They are, however, without a doubt the noisiest of all the dwarf macaws. Their vocabulary is greatly varied so that a single bird is tolerable, but putting two or more birds together can be unbearable.
Coulan's macaw is quite rare in captivity, coming from a small area in Peru and the extreme western edge of Brazil although they have been recorded occasionally in Bolivia. The entire head is blue, giving the bird the alternate name of the blue-headed macaw. This is the only dwarf macaw in which the facial skin is grey. The tail is maroon, broadly tipped with blue. The feet are pink. The mandibles are black with both being tipped with a light horn color. Most books list its size as approximately sixteen inches, however people to whom I spoke who have owned Coulari's macaws describe its size as equal to a large severe macaw, probably about eighteen inches. It was also described as being a very large chested bird similar to the red-bellied macaw. Some authorities feel that Coulan's macaw should be treated as a subspecies of Illiger's macaw. I personal-
ly have trouble seeing much resemblance from the representations available. Also, in the wild, Coulan's macaw is not a forest dwelling bird like Illiger' s macaw. Therefore they are far less susceptible to habitat destruction. It has even been observed that where there is considerable destruction of forest near their range that their range has in fact extended. I spoke with one breeder who had owned a Coulari's macaw. He said, "To say that a Coulan' s is a color variation of a Illiger' s is like saying that a blue and gold is a color variation of a scarlet.'' He did say that one thing Coulari's macaw had in common with the Illiger's was that they both had a similar "vocabulary." He stated that he found his bird considerably quieter than his Illiger's and that it was a very shy bird.
The red-bellied macaw, which measures about eighteen inches, is considered by many to be the least attractive of the dwarf macaws. Its main distinguishing features are the small patch of maroon on the lower abdomen, the large yellow bare facial area and the quite small black beak. The red-bellied macaw's range in the wild is very closely related to a specific type of palm tree. Destruction of vast areas of this palm tree could greatly endanger the red-bellied macaw.
Though not brightly colored, a bird in good feather is very pretty. The chest has a lovely pearling effect, each feather being edged with a silvery greenish blue. Red-bellied macaws are described in many books as being very fond of bathing. I can safely say that, except for kakarikis, I have never seen birds that like to bathe so much. When my pair was in the living room, they would bathe easily three or four times a day, sometimes as late as midnight. Now that they are in a flight out of doors I find that I must keep at least one extra water dish in their flight, preferably one that is not easy to bath in, or else they would use all their water for bathing and have none left for drinking.
Red-bellied macaws also have a reputation for being very delicate. This seems to apply mostly to adult wild caught birds. Young birds which are imported seen to fare much better though they still seem to be somewhat delicate during acclimatization. Several people to whom I spoke felt that this is probably due to stress. One breeder said that two of his birds dropped dead off their perch when someone let the aviary door slam. I am inclined to think that stress may indeed be a great deal of the problem. My hen, upon being taken to the vet for a routine blood test, demonstrated yellow
stools and urates during the visit. I had not noticed this previously and could not understand how I had overlooked such an obvious symptom. A complete blood panel was drawn and I took the bird home. One half hour after the bird was home her stools had returned to green and white. The blood tests were all normal. The yellow stools and urates were apparently due solely to stress. Once the birds are established, however, they seem to do well. Breeders whom I know have wintered their birds outside all year round and have not run into any problems. However, one breeder did mention that his birds did not tolerate the cold well. Red-bellied macaws also seem to be quite prone to obesity. This may explain some of the problems in establishing them since until recent years their diet porbably consisted almost entirely of sunflower seeds. This coupled with their great susceptibility to stress could easily account for their being difficult to establish. One advantage to the red-bellied macaw is that they are probably the quietest of the group with perhaps the exception of Coulan 's macaw.
The severe macaw is easily recognized.
It is the only dwarf macaw with feather lines decorating the bare facial skin. The forehead, cheek margins and chin are chestnut. The crown and flights are blue. The bend of the wing and lesser underwing covens are red. The overall length is about eighteen inches. I have found wild caught severe macaws to be by far more nervous than any of the other dwarf macaws with perhaps the exception of the red-bellied macaw though they seem to be less susceptible to stress. Severe macaws are very noisy. Their vocabulary is limited to the usual macaw call and a son of chortle they do occasionally when courting each other. The constant repetition of their normal call can be very annoying even to those who love dwarf macaws.
Dwarf macaws can be fed the usual variety of seed, including sunflower, safflower, buckwheat, millet and canary, though this should not be the mainstay of their diet. The majority of their diet, I feel, should be fruits and vegetables. Nuts may also be given. Peanuts, filberts or hazelnuts and almonds can usually be left in the shell though other varieties will probably need to be shelled. Whole wheat and corn bread will also be enjoyed. I have found that my birds will eat just about anything I give them as long as they are not allowed to gorge themselves on seed.