Hahn's Macaw

Description:
   Red-shouldered Macaws are included in the group often called the mini-macaws. There are three subspecies of this macaw: the Hahn's Macaw A. n. nobilis or D. n. nobilis, the Noble Macaw A. n. cumanensis or D. n. cumanensis, and the Long-winged Macaw A. n. longipennis or D. n. longipennis.
   Like the other small macaws they have predominantly green bodies. They have a blue crown and a tinge of blue on the lower edge of the wing. The bends of the wing are clearly marked with red, and thus the alternate name of Red-shoulder Macaw. They have a naked white patch around the eye, but it does not extend down into the cheek like the patch on the larger macaws, and their eyes are a dark orange.
   The Hahn's Macaw is the smallest of the Red-shouldered Macaws reaching only about 12" (30 cm) while the Noble Macaw is a bit bigger and the Long-winged Macaw is the largest, with these last two reaching about 13"-14" (31-33 cm). The beak of the Hahn's Macaw is black, while the other two have a horn colored beak.
  Juveniles have no blue on their head and no red on the bend of their wing, and their eyes are brown.

Care and feeding:
    A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. In the wild they feed on seeds, berries, fruits, and blossoms in tree tops and bushes. In captivity they will eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat.

   See About Macaws: Housing and About Macaws: Care and Feeding for more information.

Distribution:
   The Hahn's Macaws' natural habitat is north of the Amazon from Venezuela to northeast Brazil. They inhabit palm groves, forest-fringed savannahs and plantations, and a variety of wooded habitats. In the wild they are seen in small groups in trees where they are very quiet, or flocks in flight where they are extremely noisy.

Size - Weight:
   Hahn's Macaws are 11 3/4" (30 cm) in length.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Hahn's Macaw is social even when breeding, and pairs can be kept in colonies and will usually readily breed. They have been widely bred for many years.
   The nest box needs to be 9" (23 cm) square and be 18" (46 cm) deep. The usual clutch consists of two to five eggs laid two days apart like the larger macaws. The eggs incubate for about 24 days. The babies will fledge as early as 8 weeks. Feed the parents plenty of greenstuffs, corn-on-the-cob, carrots, and fruit laced with food supplement while they are rearing the youngsters.

   See About Macaws: Breeding/Reproduction for information on breeding.

Sexual differences: No visible differences.

Potential Problems: Can be noisy (as can all macaws).

   See About Macaws: Potential Problems for information on illnesses.

Availability: This bird is fairly common and should be easy to obtain.