Reading body language...

You can't imagine how hard it is to find Macaw body language information! I found lots on Zons, especially tail fanning, but not much on Macaws. What I did find left me confused because it seems that a sign could mean both excited and aggressive.

I know eyes are a watch zone, head feathers, back feathers, beak.... But as someone who had never owned a Macaw, I'm not sure how to take certain behaviors. The main 2 I've handled were older and super social boys who were always beak grinding, playing, and dancing. I've honestly never seen what an 'I'm going to eat you if you come closer' Macaw looks like.

My Zon is very easy to read, though it's her beak what gives away excitement vs aggression. She's always been on a fine line between over excited and agitated with people. So with her I know what to expect and when she's luring me for a bite or just excited to see me for scratches.

Right now I'm debating on if I should go spend a few days with him at the store he's coming from so he gets to know me where he's comfortable, then drive him 6.5 hours home.... Or just have him shipped to my airport. I almost feel like going to get him comfortable with me is the best option but I'm also not sure I want him to negatively see me as being the one to upturn his world.

What body language addictive advice would you give a Macaw newbie? I'm starting him with basic clicker training after his initial week to settle in to build a solid foundation.

Have you had a look here for starters?

Macaws - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

LoveMyConlan said:

You can't imagine how hard it is to find Macaw body language information! I found lots on Zons, especially tail fanning, but not much on Macaws. What I did find left me confused because it seems that a sign could mean both excited and aggressive.

I know eyes are a watch zone, head feathers, back feathers, beak.... But as someone who had never owned a Macaw, I'm not sure how to take certain behaviors. The main 2 I've handled were older and super social boys who were always beak grinding, playing, and dancing. I've honestly never seen what an 'I'm going to eat you if you come closer' Macaw looks like.

My Zon is very easy to read, though it's her beak what gives away excitement vs aggression. She's always been on a fine line between over excited and agitated with people. So with her I know what to expect and when she's luring me for a bite or just excited to see me for scratches.

Right now I'm debating on if I should go spend a few days with him at the store he's coming from so he gets to know me where he's comfortable, then drive him 6.5 hours home.... Or just have him shipped to my airport. I almost feel like going to get him comfortable with me is the best option but I'm also not sure I want him to negatively see me as being the one to upturn his world.

What body language addictive advice would you give a Macaw newbie? I'm starting him with basic clicker training after his initial week to settle in to build a solid foundation.

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It would be good to know if you are getting a baby or a rescue. If a rescue, how old, which age and sex? I am guessing you are getting a B&G begause of the ikon at the end of the text

It is true, overly excited and agressive looks much the same, but you should act the same, so that makes it easier. Both can easily end in a bite. Usually the B&G macaws will verbally let you know, that you are coming too close. The Scarlets can be a little trickier to read for a macaw newbie as they are not as verbal as the B&G.

I will follow up with more info, once I know the age of your new family member

He's a baby. Will be coming home when he's fully weaned and fledged. They will give him about 2 weeks on solid foods full time to make sure he maintains his weight before he comes home. We chose a baby because as our first Macaw we can all grow together, instead of getting one from a rescue that could be difficult for us to read. Plus rescues around here are scarce, and very little Macaws. Add that to the one that I did see required a Macaw knowledgeable person, that left us out.

We know all about their puberty issues so we want to set clear boundaries and bonds early to hopefully lessen the blow a bit. We've already got a huge cage, tons of different toys/enrichment, play stands.... He'll have his own side of a room

My Conures are super easy to read, and my Zon took a while to figure out but like I said, I've never seen a Macaw be aggressive. I have been through the play lunges and beak wrestling, and can usually tell with the 2 I've worked with when they get over excited because the start hopping about and shaking their heads. But they've never offered to bite. Though I did learn real quick that they love to grab your arm to steady you. Scared the hell out of me the first time lol.

And yes! He's a B&G

Well if it's a baby, I would definately drive down to get him instead of getting him shipped. You will need to have a person driving and a person (preferably his main caretaker in the future) to give the baby attention.

I recently drove 7,5 hours each way to Germany to pick up my baby scarlet. I had put a large dog crate in the car and put in wide perches (2-3 inches in diameter), so my baby would easily steady herself on them. She ended up sleeping "in/on" my hand through the bars (yup, my arm slept for hours afterwards), but this had bonded her to me, by the time we got home. Bring a food and water bowl and ask the breeder for food for at least a week. He will probably not eat or drink anything, but it's there if he wants it.

Baby macaws from reputable breeders usually don't bite, they test to see if you are edible or to test boundaries. Your job is to make sure that he gets socialized to his environment and to other people. Usually when macaws bite it's out of fear or when they are hormonal. You probably will only see testing untill puberty. However when that hits, you will probably think someone came in during the night and exchanged your sweet bird with a demon But there are many years to enjoy the bird until then.

My best advise is to discipline your bird to what you expect from him. Accept he will make mistakes, correct it in a calm manner (I feel like Cezar Milan ) and then be friends again. And you might not have time to correct everything at once, then choose the most important thing to start with (I would suggest bite pressure training to start with) and all inhabitants has to be on the same agenda.

Ohh and I would not recommend you to leave your new baby to stay in the cage "to settle in" for a week. You have just taken him away from all he knows, he will need a lot of attention and physical affection to make him like his new "tradeup"

I was well warned about the demonic stage to come. I was told he's more likely to send me to the ER for stitches, and more likely to randomly lash out.

Originally that's why we wanted a rescue, what you see is what you will have, until we realized how hard it was too adopt. He's being started on harness training, though his wings will be clipped, and he'll bring going to the out avian vet about 3 days after he gets home for his wellness check and blood/disease work up. I'm really hoping to get him targeting with his stick and clicker in about 3 months. I know they are smart but I want to go slow. Eventually what I'd love to teach him is to let me hold his foot for nail trims without restraint. He'll get to know everyone at home, we are all sharing feeding, cleaning, playtime, and I'm hoping after a few months he'll be ready and confident enough to take a small trip out to the local bird toy store. I'd love to be able to take him places with us.

I can tell you from my experience that the "I'm going to rip your friggin face off" is a pretty clear thing to read. Head low, beak open, wings up, tail flared and usually some kinda of racket.

In my house that's the "don't you DARE come near me!" look. So of course I usually go near him to prove that I'm not afraid and he's not in charge. Granted I don't try and touch him because I am too afraid and I'm also not stupid despite what my mommy says.

Mine is a rescue, about 13 and we're still getting to know each other. But what I can tell you about your plans on going slow is that you should go at the bird's pace. You say slow, the bird will have its own ideas so go with those.

Congratulations on the soon to be new addition to your household! You've received some exceptional advice above. I'd only mention that you might not want to necessarily wait 3 months before you begin target training, as that training can be a great bonding tool. Remember that, with their innate intelligence, doing such exercises with your parrot gives them mental stimulation that they come to eagerly anticipate.

Definitely go at his pace, but I think you'll find that his pace will be a lot sooner than 3 months.

I just have one additional advice. If you plan on living with your macaw and not have to give him up during puberty, I would HIGHLY recommend you not to clip his wings until he is FULLY flighted. I would in general not recommend any bird to be clipped before they are fully flighted if ever.

You will need him to know how to fly, when going through puberty aka hell and during hormonal season in his adulthood, as flight is the only trick I really have to get your bird too cool down in the worst phases.

I am focusing on bite pressure training and recall training with my baby. Yes it's a bit of a hassle to have a bird with a wingspan of 4 feet flying about in the house, but it is well worth the hassle as the flight training at a later stage is VERY difficult.

I have seen people going to batting cages to flight train their macaws, which I think is a brilliant idea.

2 of my macaws are fully flighted and they are used to sit on my arm when we go outside. I had Sugar and Trudi on a visit to my friends house yesterday. Trudi learned within 1 week, that when in a harness, she shouldn't fly.

Here's a photo of me going for flight training with my birds.


We have in Denmark clubs where we meet up in an indoor riding school and the birds can fly as much as they like and they can socialize with both humans and birds. I don't know if you have anything similar in the US, but I can HIGHLY recommend it. My B&G rescue has become a completely different bird towards strangers and this makes him a much more mellow bird in general.

Here's a photo of us at the flight training club. The photo is a bit of a setup, we never stand in the middle with all our birds and send them flying at once. That was for the camera


AND the club is good for me too You get to meet a lot of different people and birds. You get to ask different experienced bird people an aray of questions and the topics you go through during a flight training is priceless

Great pics! I don't think I've ever seen a pic like that 2nd one! And excellent advice!

I agree. A parrot should ALWAYS be allowed to fledge, which means they should be given the chance as babies to learn fully how to fly. It's very important for their psychological, physical and emotional development.

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@SilleIn.... That is so cool! I wish I had a flight group around me My only concern with him being flighted at home is that he will be sharing a room with my semi-blind old Amazon. The way we have the room set up is that they will be on opposite walls with their cages and own play areas. The Zon loves to come out and sit on her cage but I'd be terrified if my Macaw suddenly took off at her. I did specifically ask that he be fledged 100%before coming home. He wouldn't be clipped till the day I pick him up.

I have a Sun Conure who is 'developmently retarded' as my vet puts it, because she was never allowed to fly and she was raised alone. She has no idea she's a bird

We did how ever talk about setting up a scene wall in the center of the room just to make sure they stay on their own sides... Mind you they will never be out unsupervised!

The only thing that REALLY sucks is that due to him being 7 hours away, I won't get to see him until the day I pick him up there or at the airport. They are sending me lots of photos and updates though.

And they did ask if I wanted him on the sales floor around people (he's coming from Todd Marcus Birds Exotic) so he can get used to being around other birds/people. And they are doing lots of desensitizing to touch and the harness training.

Plus if I travel out to get him, they recommend that I stay a few days to work with him so he at least knows I'm not going to eat him, and they will walk us through the beginning of our bond. Kind of like personal lessons

I kinda covered the whys in my Amazon body language post.

Unlike amazons who are clear and have well defined body language, Macaw body language has to be interpreted IN THE CONTEXT of what is going on around them.

Poofy head feathers, for example: Could mean excited, it could mean defensive/territorial, it could mean curious ("What's that?! Gimme it!") (What's that? Get it away from me...) i.e. same behavior 180 degree meanings, it could mean "that's the spot keep scratching!"

With macaw body language, you have to take it in context of other behaviors.

Lunging could be a macaw test. It could be an invitation to play. It could be a territorial intrusion warning. It could be a jealousy thing... (Not now, I'm with my person!)

YOU CAN'T REALLY GENERALIZE IT. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE GET TO KNOW YOUR INDIVIDUAL BIRD, AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE DOES IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. LEARN TO READ YOUR BIRD.

This comes with time, and interaction, and patience, and understanding.

LoveMyConlan said:

@SilleIn.... That is so cool! I wish I had a flight group around me My only concern with him being flighted at home is that he will be sharing a room with my semi-blind old Amazon. The way we have the room set up is that they will be on opposite walls with their cages and own play areas. The Zon loves to come out and sit on her cage but I'd be terrified if my Macaw suddenly took off at her. I did specifically ask that he be fledged 100%before coming home. He wouldn't be clipped till the day I pick him up.

I have a Sun Conure who is 'developmently retarded' as my vet puts it, because she was never allowed to fly and she was raised alone. She has no idea she's a bird

We did how ever talk about setting up a scene wall in the center of the room just to make sure they stay on their own sides... Mind you they will never be out unsupervised!

The only thing that REALLY sucks is that due to him being 7 hours away, I won't get to see him until the day I pick him up there or at the airport. They are sending me lots of photos and updates though.

And they did ask if I wanted him on the sales floor around people (he's coming from Todd Marcus Birds Exotic) so he can get used to being around other birds/people. And they are doing lots of desensitizing to touch and the harness training.

Plus if I travel out to get him, they recommend that I stay a few days to work with him so he at least knows I'm not going to eat him, and they will walk us through the beginning of our bond. Kind of like personal lessons

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It sounds like it's a good breeder you have found, that will make your life so much easier.

If you have the opportunity to stay there for a few days, that would be fantastic and give you a great start to your relationship. However if you are not able to stay, I still think it's better to pick him up, than getting him shipped.

As I have a lot of animals, I can't leave for days, so we just went there and picked her up. I hadn't seen her (apart from photos) prior to picking her up. Obviously she wasn't as fond of me as the breeder. What I really like about this process is that she has never had any reason to fear anything. She has been with people always. I had the option to have her shipped, but I am certain that being put in a box and being bumped around with incredibly loud noises will be a frightening experience. I love the fact that Trudi has no fears at all (almost would be nice if she had just a little, as she gets in trouble challenging the adult macaws). I like that she has never bitten out of fear and if I make sure to keep her safe, she will never have cause to in the future either.

Of course the safety of all inhabitants in the house is the first priority. If he has fully fledged, then it's not too bad to clip him. You would benefit from doing some flight training with him before he hits puberty, as flight will be your best tool to take the worst of the demonics out of him. If your Zon is so old, as she probably won't live to see his puberty, you could wait. I just have to let you know, that everything is so much easier to teach them, when they are babies (the first year to year and a half).

If I were in your shoes, I would probably keep the birds apart untill I had recall training down (batting cages make great training areas) and then get him clipped.

I really look forward to see your new baby

LoveMyConlan said:

I was well warned about the demonic stage to come. I was told he's more likely to send me to the ER for stitches, and more likely to randomly lash out.

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First of all, I think the terrible twos with macaws are a myth. That's when they are fully aware, and manipulate. If you've set clear boundaries with your mac by then, and you have a bond, and they respect you, you don't really get that. THE PHRASE "KNOCK IT OFF" comes in handy with manipulative macaws. In fact, when Sweepea acts up, to this day, Tusk uses it on him (in my voice.)

If you HAVEN'T set boundaries by then? THAT is when you are in hell, and it's also WHY you are in hell.

BITE PRESSURE TRAIN THEM THEY NEVER, EVER, EVER SEND YOU TO THE E.R.

Never ONCE in my twenty plus years of working with big macs has a bite pressure trained bird done anything more than a pin prick from the occasionally too pointy beak. YOU TEACH THEM TO PINCH INSTEAD OF BITE. Then they don't use biting as a form of communication. Do this as a baby and it should NEVER in the bird's lifetime be an issue.

The birds that send you to the ER are the ones who don't get handled, who were never bite pressure trained, and who don't know their own strength. 9 times out of 10 it is an accident. They didn't mean to hurt you they either got spooked by something and displacement bit, or they didn't know their own strength and used too much bite pressure because no one ever taught them NOT TO!

FIRM BOUNDARIES!!! NO BITING!!! Stop this stuff before it ever really starts. That is the answer. BIG MACS ARE MUSHBALLS WITH FEATHERS IF YOU RAISE THEM RIGHT. They are not aggressive birds. They are playful, mush monsters...

Birdman666 said:

First of all, I think the terrible twos with macaws are a myth. That's when they are fully aware, and manipulate. If you've set clear boundaries with your mac by then, and you have a bond, and they respect you, you don't really get that. THE PHRASE "KNOCK IT OFF" comes in handy with manipulative macaws. In fact, when Sweepea acts up, to this day, Tusk uses it on him (in my voice.)

If you HAVEN'T set boundaries by then? THAT is when you are in hell, and it's also WHY you are in hell.

BITE PRESSURE TRAIN THEM THEY NEVER, EVER, EVER SEND YOU TO THE E.R.

Never ONCE in my twenty plus years of working with big macs has a bite pressure trained bird done anything more than a pin prick from the occasionally too pointy beak. YOU TEACH THEM TO PINCH INSTEAD OF BITE. Then they don't use biting as a form of communication. Do this as a baby and it should NEVER in the bird's lifetime be an issue.

The birds that send you to the ER are the ones who don't get handled, who were never bite pressure trained, and who don't know their own strength. 9 times out of 10 it is an accident. They didn't mean to hurt you they either got spooked by something and displacement bit, or they didn't know their own strength and used too much bite pressure because no one ever taught them NOT TO!

FIRM BOUNDARIES!!! NO BITING!!! Stop this stuff before it ever really starts. That is the answer. BIG MACS ARE MUSHBALLS WITH FEATHERS IF YOU RAISE THEM RIGHT. They are not aggressive birds. They are playful, mush monsters...

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So true, but must admit I don't think the twos are bad, they just start having an opinion instead of a ball of clay, when they are babies. It's the 4-6 years, where they reach sexual maturity they sometimes seem like demons

This helps me a lot. With the Amazon, I could always tell what he was up to by his body language. Even the foot up, bait and bite manoever was transparent by the look in the eye and the feathers slicked. But Gus, the B&G, has been a puzzle. It's reassuring to hear they are all like this. It's just like Birdman666 says - poofy head feathers mean scratch here or bite time or get away from the play top. The other day he got me. He was on his perch and had been hollering to get out, so I opened his door and reached in for him like I always do, and he lunged at me so I stepped back and asked if he wanted out. He looked poofy and excited, but held his foot out, so I went back for him. Saw the beak come down, stayed where I was, he grabbed on pretty fiercely but then stepped up at the same time. I said ow, don't bite, finished bringing him out of the cage and put him on his outside perch. He didn't break the skin, but I had a red beak print on my wrist that lasted several hours.

I'm not sure how to interpret it...did the foot up mean he wanted out, but he wanted his person - who was in the room - to pick him up instead of me? Or was he just so excited that he was of two minds, yes pick me up oh I bite you? I guess the lesson is that an excited macaw is unpredictable and probably has poor impulse control, so don't put a body part near unless we are both calm. He's a LOT harder to read than an Amazon.

SilleIN said:

I think the twos are bad, they just start having an opinion instead of a ball of clay, when they are babies. It's the 4-6 years, where they reach sexual maturity they sometimes seem like demons

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Yeah I agree.

I usually say it's the 7 to 12 age that's bad for big macs. When the "masterbation/desire to mate phase" kicks into overdrive. But I agree. That's the tough age.

Kentuckienne said:

This helps me a lot. With the Amazon, I could always tell what he was up to by his body language. Even the foot up, bait and bite manoever was transparent by the look in the eye and the feathers slicked. But Gus, the B&G, has been a puzzle. It's reassuring to hear they are all like this. It's just like Birdman666 says - poofy head feathers mean scratch here or bite time or get away from the play top. The other day he got me. He was on his perch and had been hollering to get out, so I opened his door and reached in for him like I always do, and he lunged at me so I stepped back and asked if he wanted out. He looked poofy and excited, but held his foot out, so I went back for him. Saw the beak come down, stayed where I was, he grabbed on pretty fiercely but then stepped up at the same time. I said ow, don't bite, finished bringing him out of the cage and put him on his outside perch. He didn't break the skin, but I had a red beak print on my wrist that lasted several hours.

I'm not sure how to interpret it...did the foot up mean he wanted out, but he wanted his person - who was in the room - to pick him up instead of me? Or was he just so excited that he was of two minds, yes pick me up oh I bite you? I guess the lesson is that an excited macaw is unpredictable and probably has poor impulse control, so don't put a body part near unless we are both calm. He's a LOT harder to read than an Amazon.

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WAS IT A BITE, OR WAS HE CLIMBING ON YOU USING HIS BEAK, AND HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW THAT HE CAN'T DO THAT KIND OF STUFF ON FLESH?!

Sounds like he was just excited to be let out and tried to climb up using his beak. I wasn't there to see it, but that is an educated guess.

My baby greenwing occasionally tries to climb from my arm to my shoulder by latching onto my neck with her beak and climbing up. I have a bunch of little pin prick holes from her learning that she isn't supposed to use her beak to climb on people. (Eventually they do "get it.") My greenwing once surprised me in the shower, and gently climbed up my naked body to my arm WITHOUT so much as leaving a mark. LEARNING that, however, there can occasionally be setbacks.

Birdman666 said:

My greenwing once surprised me in the shower, and gently climbed up my naked body to my arm WITHOUT so much as leaving a mark....

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After that visual, I know I now need therapy!