Calling all Red front Macaw Owners!

I have been doing research for two years on what kind of macaw is right for me and Im leaning toward the Red Front but the guy at the store was just trying to sell a bird and would not tell me the cons of owning these birds. He told me they were cuddly like the hyacinth macaw but not as loud as the mealy Amazon and better then the yellow caller macaw. I don't think one bird is better then the other but he was doing his damnedest to get me to buy that bird. I cant find any good info on the Red fronts so I thought I'd ask on here. Please any factual info you can give me is greatly appreciated.

I don't own one but i worked at a bird store and can tell you they can be loud but that is all relative. The customers that I know have them love them because its a small bird with a big bird personality. And I wouldn't say they are as cuddly as a hyacinth because it is pretty much how you raise them but they do make very good pets. Also if your interested in free flight this guys can hover! like a hummingbird I saw it first hand and it was pretty cool.

Yellow collar Macaw????

I know there's at least 2 people on this board with RF macs. Hopefully they'll speak up soon. From what I've read and seen they are great birds.

Yellow caller macaws are a mini macaw, about the size of a large conure mostly green with a yellow caller around the back of the neck.

sorry about my spelling I have two children that are distracting me and I have been up for over 24 hours. Caller should be collar.

The first time I ever met a RFM was in 1997. He walked up to me asking for a kiss. I worked up the nerve to kiss him quickly on the top of his big black beak and he quickly shoved his tongue in my mouth. Then he laughed and jumped into my lap. I have wanted a RFM since 1997.

Last December my dream finally came true when Valentino came home at almost 4 months old. I got him from one of the best known RFM breeders in the country. I did my research and found Wendy Craig to be the one to get my RFM from. Before Valentino was ready to come home Wendy helped me though a very difficult time when my 17 year old Noble macaw died. She helped me realize not to give up and that Valentino will eventually help heal my heart. I never regretted the decision to follow though and take delivery on my RFM.

Valentino will be two years in August. He is the most challenging parrot I ever lived with. He is scary intelligent and at times presents me with issues being able to cater to that intelligence. He figured out African Grey brain toys in less than 10 mins. He takes apart things so I am constantly putting things back together. I wonder if he will start driving my car next.

Valentino can be very annoying at times. He likes to hang off of me and squeal. He likes to pull my hair and stick his tongue in my ear, nose, eye, mouth. His scream is like knives stabbing my brain and I have to leave the room. His scream is such a trigger to me I can easily loose my temper. It has to be the frequency and the loudness of it as I have lived with parrots for over 20 years and I have never had any of their screams cause me to react that way. Baby RFM have the reputation for screaming a lot and very loudly.

At 5 months of age Valentino began talking very clearly. Just out of the blue one day I heard someone talking downstairs while I was in my office working. I actually thought someone was in my home. I went downstairs to check it out and it was Valentino talking away. I have noticed since he started talking he screams less. He prefers to communicate with me with speech instead of screams now. Valentino still does scream at times but it is not as bad as when I first got him. It is still a trigger for me and I leave the room when he screams. This works best for me.

Because I kept Valentino's wings unclipped I taught him recall from day one. I also had to teach him to fly down to me from the upper level of my home. I never realized that parrots need to be taught to fly DOWN and I am very glad he now has that skill. Just in case he ever escapes I will be able to call him down to me from a height above like him perched high in a tree. RFM are one of the best fliers I ever worked with. He can hover and does this often when I command him to go to his Java tree and he wants to land on my shoulder ignoring my command. He will hover in the air until I give him the look and point to his tree. He can also fly sideways, backwards and has fun flying in a dizzying zig zag pattern. I can throw him up in the air talons sticking straight up and he will barrel roll in the correct position to fly. I love to watch him fly.

Wendy Craig describes the RFM very well on her website.

Red-Front

I also have several video's of Valentino on youtube under Tinian Raven account. Do the search for Tinian Raven and you will be able to see the video's I uploaded.

The longer I live with my RFM the more I love him. I can get frustrated with him but in the end I love this parrot very very much. No matter what my future holds I will not give up or place Valentino up for adoption.

As with any species they will have their pros and cons. Only you can know what you can live with. If you have any questions let me know and I will do my best to answer them. If you are a macaw person you will love the RFM. How can you not love a parrot that hugs you with their wings and roll on you like a puppy. A bonded RFM trust you will never drop them so they like to roll down your chest and squeal. One of Valentino's most endearing thing he does is when it is relaxing cuddle Momma time he will be lying on my chest all fluffy and say to me. "Do you love me?" and I always have to say "Yes I do. I love you." RFM feathers are the softest I ever had the pleasure to pet.

The day I picked him up from the airport.


One of my favorite pictures. Valentino is such a sexy beast

I havent posted here in awhile but I have a red front who will be one next month. His name is Ramsay. If you have 2 conuresI think you can handle a red front. Ramsay is pretty quiet and only lets out when my green wing gets going and even then its not really loud. I have heard they can be. he was quite cuddly when he was a baby but is gaining independence now. when I do hold him he does melt in my hands. Right now I can say he is a dream bird but can be very challenging at times.

Personality wise, they are petty amazing...

Check out Wendy's Parrots website, she has one of the best descriptions of their behaviors I've ever read, and it is spot on!

I raised mine from just off hand feeding... and she's been a great bird. The best thing about RFM's is that they are just naturally loving birds that will go to anyone, and play with anyone. I've had her for over ten years now with ZERO problems. They are probably the easiest macaw of all of them to handle... and that includes Hyacinths!

BUT THEY ARE MACAWS, OF COURSE, THEY CAN BE LOUD!!! ANY MACAW CAN, AND AT TIMES, WILL BE... SO COUNT ON IT!!! OR DON'T GET ONE.

And if they don't get enough attention, macaws can be attention screamers... and that would, again, be ALL of them.

Mini Macs can have attitude, at times, more attitude than the big guys...

I've worked with YCMs before, but never owned one. That experience was positive for me. I really have never seen them interacting with children before, but I would imagine this is a socialization issue...

RFM's will... My daughter was only about 6 when we got Sweepea, and she could handle her from the day Sweepea arrived... (But my daughter has been around birds all her life, and knows how to handle macaws... )