Blue throated macaws are very inquisitive, mischievous, animated and love to chew. This Macaw can make excellent pets, although some have a tendency to become nippy. Macaws can be very loud as well as destructive. While some speak, most macaws have limited ability to mimic.
The Blue throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis, previously Ara caninde, was first described by Dabbene in 1921. Like Red-fronted Macaws, the Blue-throated Macaws are also found in a very small geographic region. Their range is quite limited, and today it is found primarily in the Llanos de Mojos (Moxos) region of northern Bolivia. This area is is north-east of the Andes, mostly east of the Beni River, and is the southern most extension of the Amazon.They were early described as being from the Buena Vista district of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina in the province of Chaco.
The preferred habitat the Blue-throated Macaws are lowlands of humid dense forests, or more open secondary lowland forests, usually close to water. Like the Blue and Gold they feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, and possibly some vegetable and protein matter.
“Probably the biggest and most important thing in keeping a Blue-throated Macaw is keeping it contained,” Bohannon said. “A large majority of them are excellent mechanics, and it is difficult to find a cage they cannot open and/or literally take apart. Toys and perches will often end up on the floor of the cage, and (to blue throats) quick links are a mere annoyance. They will have a quick link open in a matter of seconds.”
WHAT POTENTIAL OWNERS SHOULD KNOW
“There are, of course, exceptions as with all exotic birds,” Bohannon mentioned. “However, if you are going to be owned by a blue throat, be aware that they are escape artists. They can be very manipulative and are extremely destructive. Be prepared to spend a small fortune on toy sand never, ever let them outside of their cage unattended, or you may find your home falling down around you.”
DescriptionThe Blue-throated Macaw was first thought of as a subspecies, or a juvenile, of the Blue and Gold Macaw. They are similar in color to the Blue and Gold Macaw with upper parts being all blue and under parts being an orange-yellow.
The blue coloring of the Blue-throated Macaw is a bit more aqua toned than the Blue and Gold Macaw, having a greenish tinge, They also have a blue band across the throat, thus the name ‘Blue-throated’.
Their bare facial patch is also a bit smaller than the Blue and Gold’s. It is also lined with blue feathers rather than the black feathers seen on a Blue and Gold Macaw’s facial patch. The tail is long and tapered and the legs are gray. The beak is a gray-black and the eye is yellow.
The Blue-throated Macaw is a full sized macaw, though they are a bit smaller than Blue and Gold Macaw. These birds are about 33 inches (85 cm) in length. A younger bird will be similar to the adults but have a shorter tail and dark brown eyes.
Care and Feeding In the wild, like their larger cousin the Blue and Gold, Blue-throated’s most likely eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits and probably some protein. There are name brand commercially prepared seed or pellet mixes for the Macaw. They can also eat anything nutritious that you eat and these foods should be offered. Most parrots enjoy eating with their family. They eat protein in the wild and they do like chicken. Avocado and chocolate are toxic to parrots.
They require bathing to keep their feathers from drying out. They are used to a humid climate and without bathing their feathers will dry out and become itchy causing them to chew on them. You can spray them down with room temperature tap water or a commercial bird bath. Many owners just take their Macaw into the shower wit
