Blue-and-gold macaw
The blue and gold macaw is among the largest and most recognisable parrots in the world, from the swamp forests of northern South America.
It is brilliant blue above and deep yellow below, with a black chin and the bare white facial patch macaws are known for, marked with fine lines of tiny feathers unique to each bird.
It is intelligent, sociable and capable of real affection, and it is also enormous, extremely loud and equipped with a beak that can break a broom handle. Blue and golds are among the most commonly surrendered large parrots, almost always for noise and size rather than temperament.
- Origin
- Northern South America
- Size
- 76–86 cm including tail; 900–1300 g
- Lifespan
- 50 years or more; often 60+
- Diet
- Large-parrot pellets, vegetables, nuts in moderation
- Temperament
- Intelligent, sociable, demanding, emotionally sensitive
- Noise
- Extremely loud; audible far outside the house
Related: Blue-crowned conure
3 blue-and-gold macaw photos, newest first
Living with a blue-and-gold macaw
Be honest about noise and lifespan before anything else. A macaw's contact call carries several streets, cannot be trained away, and the bird will very likely outlive you — plan for who takes it.
Housing needs to be genuinely large, with room to spread wings fully, plus several hours out of it daily.
The beak requires constant destructible material. Untreated hardwood, palm, cardboard, replaced continually.
Macaws are prone to feather plucking and to proventricular dilatation disease. Nuts are high in fat — a treat, not a diet. Non-stick fumes kill in minutes.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual birds vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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