Closed Banding Your Macaw

Abstract

The decision to band your baby
birds may originally be difficult for
you. All of us have heard stories over
the years about injuries to birds that
have open bands left on from quarantine
stations. Years ago our vet warned
us about the problems associated with
these bands. He had seen multiple
injuries ranging from broken legs to
mutilations and death associated with
them. After we listened to his stories, it
seemed like the only humane thing to
do was remove them. Since he checks
all new birds, the bands are removed at
that time, along with routine blood
tests and cultures.
In 1986, New York passed a law
requiring all birds coming into the state
to be closed banded. While there were

mixed feelings about the validity of the
law, the fact remained that it was,
indeed, a law and therefore had to be
obeyed. Since I had several people
wanting macaws in New York I dutifully
ordered bands and started pulling
my birds at an earlier age in order to
closed band them. We specialize in
breeding the larger species of macaws,
so they are closed banded between 16
and 20 days (depending on the species
and how long they are left with their
parents). At first this was a hassle. My
breeding macaws are very capable
birds, eager to raise their own young,
and doing a great job of it as well.