Which Macaw? GW or B&G

[NatWatson]

So we have decided on a macaw. We have also decided that we will order a hr baby within the next two years.

(there are no rescue macaws in australia given the value of the birds here, so people are much more likely to sell their issues for a quick buck...)

We were just wondering however, does anyone have any advice based on their experience with Greenwings or Black and Golds? I understand different personalities for individual birds, but I also am aware that some species are more sensitive (scarlet which was the only other possibility for us), and we need a personality that will grow with us and more readily adapt to commotion and changing ... things. We are after all a very young family.

I would be extremely grateful for any shared stories, pros, cons, advice.

 

[JJones1719]

First thing, welcome to the message board. B&G macaws are very differenent from GW macaws. Personality is one but more important, it depends on your life style and what Macaw is best for you and your Family.

The pros, both Macaws make for a wonderful pet to any Family.
Pros, Both Macaws form very strong bonds with their owners. I beleive the GW tends to bond more and they are more needy and thrives on your Attn over the more independant B&G.
Pros, both Macaws are pretty easy to handle provided that you know how to handle a Macaw, if not,
Cons, please do your homework first before trying to pick one up. B&G can pack on a bite but a bite from a GW can be very bad due to their beaks being much larger and they have more preasure per square inch over the B&G.
B&G tend to bond with their owners while the GW tends to be more a one person bird. There are exceptions to every rule so this is where it depends on the bird that you choose.
Pros, Macaws love to bath, eat, and go on trips with their owners.

Cons, Macaws can be very loud at times, Neighbors maybe an issue. Macaws love to toss their food and can be very messy and waste a lot of food.
Cons, Vet visits can be really expensive if your Macaw gets sick.
Cons, Macaws will out live you so you need to be sure someone will take care of them is something should happen to you or your family.

Overall, If I had to pick the better of the two, I would go for the GW macaw over the B&G.

I would stay away from the Scarlet macaw, they tend to be more moody, nippy, they are like a Macaw on steroids.

There are two more Macaws that you did not mention, If money is not an issue, there are always the Blue Throat Macaws that are really wonderful and the great dane of the Macaw family is the HY Macaw.

I hope this helps. Best of luck to you. I am sure you will get a lot of feed back from this group and some may or may not agree with me on my opinion and that's okay. Joe

 

[Gristleboy]

I thought Australia didn't allow non-native bird species?

 

[oled]

A good way is to choose with the hard supported by the brain. Do to that macaw is realy loud you have to consider your way of live and whre you live. Good lucky

 

[willist]

A Greenwing is the way to go! No question about it.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I have both, and I'll just give you my experience and opinion...

Greenwings are in fact wonderful birds, that being said they can also be much more domineering than a blue and gold. They are also (in my experience) much louder than a blue and gold, and much much messier. They do seem a bit more needy, and our birds here usually prefer a certain person over others... they get along with almost everyone, but they seem to bond with one person or another more closely. They do have about 2200 pounds per square inch in that beak, but they rarely use it (I've owned macaws for years and have never received a full power bite from any of them. Greenwings are proud birds and they tend to hold a grudge if they feel wronged. All in all they are VERY vocal birds and ours nearly never stop talking. Greenwings are intense birds and they seem to feel all their emotions to the extreme. A handfed baby can be very sweet and make a wonderful pet, but if you don't have macaw experience they are not a bird I recomend. Of course you could do wonderfully with a Greenwing since you seem to be quite dedicated to the bird idea.

Blue and Golds are more low key in some ways.... yes they are loud and yes they are messy, but not on the same level as a Greenwing. Blue and Golds tend to be very accepting of people and sweet natured over all. Not always as talkative as our Greenwings, but a bit more sweet in some ways. They can be very independant and they are a great deal more forgiving than a Greenwing. They are quite lovin, but not to the intense extent a Greenwing can. Depending on the baby I usually recomend a blue and gold to a family environment (although Greenwings can do just as well)

I love both types very much, and while my husband favors Greenwings, I favor Blue and Golds...

And of course one bird is always quite different from another.... so the above is just a generalization based on my experiences. I hope this helps....

Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any more specific questions

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

One last thing...... A Greenwing is far more destructive than a blue and gold and they require VERY strong cages, do not get a cheap cage (blue and golds are not nearly as cage destructive, although they are still a macaw).

 

[Atwee921]

I dont know much about macaws, but I do know from seeing them that the GW is much bigger. GW are usually more affectionate, whereas B&G's are usually more hyper.

 

[NatWatson]

Note: Of course Australia allows non-native species hehehehe. I have a Quaker and a Sun Conure- the larger (more exotic) species are just harder to find/more expensive.

Thank you all so much for your help with this.

Luckily for our future Macaw (already named Peach), we do not take the responsibility of owning a large parrot lightly, and both of us are united in our strong commitment to this venture. We are young, a supporting factor in our decision given many Macaws do outlive their humans. I am 26, and would hope to live with our Macaw right up until the end. We have been studying various books/sites for a couple of years now and I think I could proudly recite notes from Mattie Sue Athan and Rosemary Low’s books, Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot (and her Quaker book too ^_^) and The complete Guide to Macaws.

I am not afraid of being bitten, I am also switched on to my parrot’s body language, so generally speaking, I know when to respect space. I also know that with proper training and enrichment, I am more likely to be bitten by my mouthy, playful Border Collie, that my Macaw. To be honest, I probably understand I parrots, better than I understand my own arrogant race. Yoshi and Yoda (Quaker and Sun Con) are extremely good practice for us. We already eat together, bath together and play together, so I can’t see how adding a Macaw to the flock would interfere overly.

Anyway, I’m not overly concerned about the dynamics of the family and daily routines, more a personality who will click with us. We are limited to Blue and Gold, Greenwing or Scarlets because of availability in Australia, and even so, GW and Scarlets are far less common still then the others.

We have decided on a Blue and Gold. I think after talking to people and reading forums etc, a blue and gold (generally) would suit the style of our family more. One of the factors which came up was that Blue and Golds are more sociable throughout the family, and less inclined to be a one-human bird. Thank you all so much for your advice and help. We really appreciate it. Especially, confirming that GWs are more sensitive and grudgy.

So from here its all down hill!!! We have ordered our new featherland SS cage from the USA, and will start setting Peach’s space up for next season. We found ourselves a very reputable breeder- not cheap, but quality!!! Buying toys will always be the best part of living with parrots, I think I play more than they do hahaha.

 

[BirdieNumNum]

Congrats on your decision!! When are you getting your baby? I think you made the right choice. After reading ShreddedOakAviary's "review" of the species, I would have chose B&G too, even though I might never own a macaw.