Scarlet’s make great pets as they are intelligent, confident, friendly and magnificently beautiful. They can easily be trained to learn simple tricks and mimic sounds and develop vocabulary of around 10 words.
Care & Feeding
Like all birds, the scarlet macaw will thrive in a large environment, and will suffer in a cage that’s inadequate for its size. This bird is known for self-mutilation when confined, and will not do well with an owner who doesn’t plan on allowing it sufficient out-of-cage time. Large swings and toys are a must, too, because the scarlet is an active bird that likes to play and chew. If not given the opportunity to chew, it will become quite unhappy and may turn the chewing onto its feathers.
Scarlet macaw live in small groups in the wild, and a lone scarlet macaw in a household can become lonely if not interacted with regularly. This is not a bird for someone who isn’t home a lot, or someone who doesn’t understand the intricacies and responsibilities of bird keeping. This is a sensitive, clever bird that can easily become bored and miserable, leading to excessive noise, plucking and biting.
Speech and Vocalizations
Confident and friendly, scarlets are usually eager to learn tricks and develop a vocabulary of 5 to 10 words. Scarlets can get extremely loud which may make them a questionable choice for those living in apartments or condominiums. If you are sensitive to loud noises, you might want to think about getting another bird species.
Scarlet Macaw Colors and Markings
Scarlets are mostly vivid red with bright yellow and blue edging on their wings. Some birds may have a band of green where the yellow meets the blue. The large eye patch is white, and the bill has a horn-colored upper mandible and a black lower mandible. There is no obvious way to tell apart the males from females; to figure this out, the bird needs genetic or surgical sexing.