Hyacinth+Macaw

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Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus Order: Psittaciformes

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Housing Requirements

 * The largest of the flying parrots, these guys need a lot of room to move around! As they seem to enjoy both walking and climbing, it is important to provide both horizontal and vertical space. At a minimum, our caging was approximately 6 ft.x10 ft.x6 ft. with several sturdy perches. Important consideration also needs to be made in regard to the Hyacinth's beak-power - if a Hyacinth can find a way to break something, they will. Never use any plastics or soft metals that can be either broken and ingested or bent/broken in such a way to create dangerous, jagged edges.

Diet Requirements

 * At ZNE, we consistently feed a mix of parrot pellets and "bird salad," which contains peas, corn, green beans, carrots, beets, apples & blueberries. The Hyacinth gets nuts and other various fruits for rewards and enrichment on a regular basis, and on occasion a hard-boiled egg.

Veterinary Concerns

 * Parrot beaks and nails continuously grow, and therefore need to be continuously watched for cracks, splitting and/or growing too long. Trimming may need to be done regularly.

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * Macaws need a lot of enrichment so as not to become destructive toward themselves, their handlers and/or their holding areas. Our macaw likes hanging rope toys, large wooden chew toys, foraging for treats, but most of all, interaction with humans. As stated before, no matter what behavior is being trained, consistency is everything. We have found that our bird will "test" new summer staff every year, and if any one person ever lets him get away with a behavior, he will try to do the same with everyone.

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Handling

 * Only staff are allowed to work with the Hyacinth macaw, and ours is stick-trained so as to best protect a handler from any bite risk. Hyacinths are known to be "gentle giants" and while our bird hasn't ever bitten anyone to my knowledge, I would never want him close enough to be able to. They are also fairly heavy as far as birds are concerned, and relatively clumsy. Stick training/perching provides a consistent perch and secure location for the bird during a program or presentation. To reinforce our messaging, while our bird can talk, he is not allowed to (or make any loud noises, for that matter) during a program. Consistency is everything in training macaws, and this was achieved both through positive reinforcement of "good" behavior, and through putting the bird away if he exhibited "bad" behavior. As a social animal, he really seems to enjoy being with people and coming out for programs, so going in a "time-out" in his holding area if he got too loud was enough to encourage silence during programs.

Potential Messaging

 * Habitats/Adaptations; Rainforest Ecology; Endangered Species; Good Pet/Bad Pet all work really well!

=__Acquisition Information__= Zoo New England's program Hyacinth was hatched here and hand-reared.

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * Zoo New England, Stone Zoo: experienced handlers are a necessity!

=__Natural History Information__=

Threats and Conservation Status
IUCN has listed Hyacinth macaws as Endangered in the past, but their current status is Vulnerable (2014). They are in Appendix II of CITES.

=__Did you know…__=

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * Nancy Romanik, Education Program Manager, Zoo New England (Stone Zoo)

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 * //Activity Schedule: diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular//
 * //Continent of Origin//
 * //Diet Requirements: carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, etc.//
 * //General Habitat/Biome: deserts, forests, mountains, etc.//