Hybrid macaws owners treat

[nicolino]

Anyone seen these parrots ? They are called Conans !!! Few years back I have came across advertising of these birds for sale. Beautifull birds !! Anyone can gues what hybrid they are ??? ( and no, these are not a red factor sun conures , they are in fact a macaw hybrids )

 

[WilliamKenyon]

I think they are beautiful birds :32: but i'm not a big fan off crossbreeding birds as some health issues are quite common when they are completely hybridized( Catalina macaws and other individual macaw species are different because they are in the same species while a conure and a macaw are different species). Anyway i think they are beautiful birds and as for the macaw species being hybridized i would say it would be a mini macaw.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Conans ARE a hybrid between a conure (aratinga) and a mini mac. The ones pictured appear to be a cross between a Sun Conure and a mini mac.

I personally can't stand when 2 different species are allowed to breed. Of course that's just my own personal opinion.

 

[SilverSage]

While I believe that every bird, hybrid or pure, is a magnificent creature who deserves a wonderful life, I am opposed to the deliberate hybridization of species, and even more opposed to negligent hybridizing.

The birds pictured are lovely, but no more lovely than the original species in their pure form.

 

[SilverSage]

William, unfortunately you are mistaken. Different macaws are indeed different species. While breeding two macaws together might seem "less" wrong because they are more closely related, it is still a cross species breeding. Breeding two species who are close together can be even worse as it can lead to mixed offspring being passed off as pure. An example is the Sunday conure; a hybrid between jenday and sun conure. Then if the Sunday is bred back to one of the original species, they can produce offspring that look like one or the other, but in truth that genetic line will never be pure again. In the USA we no longer have access to wild stock. The gene pool we have is the only one we will ever have, and muddying it up is sad and irresponsible, in my opinion. But like I said, that doesn't make the hybrids less worthy of love.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Loved my Hybrids

 

[nicolino]

While cross breeding is not my thing, ...Idea is to show a beautiful birds. As for Connans I did talked to the lady owner.
She said these are indeed macaw hybrids between Hahn and Sun Conure. Second generation birds are more green ( as seen on one of the pics.) Third generation birds are more red. They are also the size of Hahn mac. IMHO. after the Scarlet macs,these are one of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen !!!

 

[Birdman666]

Which goes back to the premise that conures are essentially shrunken macaws.

I'm not particularly enthusiastic about cross breeding efforts either, but as long as it's not wide spread... and we still have these birds the way god and/or nature (depending on your beliefs) made them, I won't quibble...

They're here, we did this, they deserve to be given good lives.

That's my view on Hybrids.

 

[nicolino]

Which goes back to the premise that conures are essentially shrunken macaws.

I'm not particularly enthusiastic about cross breeding efforts either, but as long as it's not wide spread... and we still have these birds the way god and/or nature (depending on your beliefs) made them, I won't quibble...

They're here, we did this, they deserve to be given good lives.

That's my view on Hybrids.

Well said , Birdman , Thank You !!!

 

[thekarens]

Conans ARE a hybrid between a conure (aratinga) and a mini mac. The ones pictured appear to be a cross between a Sun Conure and a mini mac.

I personally can't stand when 2 different species are allowed to breed. Of course that's just my own personal opinion.

I'm with Wendy on this one.

And while I think all birds deserve good homes, by buying them you're just encouraging them to breed more of them. Adopting is a different story. That's the only way I'd have a hybrid.

I personally think regular suns or red factor suns are prettier.

 

[Mimsy01]

the hybrids always look like the colors got muddied to me. They are beautiful of course, just not as vibrant as the originals.

I'm also one of those who would not purchase a baby hybrid. If I ended up with one somehow I'd love it all the same. But I feel it's an other human vanity thing and not really anything helpful to any parrot species.

 

[Solo]

I, for obvious reasons, have no issue with hybrids. And I don't feel that it "muddy's" the lines. Yes I think we should continue to keep "natural" lines as well, but with a limited gene pool, hybrids are gonna have to occur to prevent inbreeding at some point. And i seriously doubt that all the mac species were placed on this earth looking the way they do now. Evolution, survival of the fittest and adaptations to environment most likely drastically changed the ORIGINAL appearance of these birds. And making statements that you would never purchase a hybrid because its wrong and encourages "poor breeding habits" (even through great breeders are participating) can be rude and offensive to those who sought out a particular hybrid because that is the bird they wanted. You can say they deserve the same love, but at the same time you are saying you don't support their existence and they never should have been created to begin with.

Can't say I'm fond of a Mac/conure hybrid, I would want to do more research and find out more about them before making my final decision.

 

[deque]

This is a tough one!

There is merit on both sides, but in the end I think I side with Birdman. I wouldn't breed a hybrid myself (wouldn't breed peroiod) but as the proud dad of 3 little hybrid dogs (mutts) and a catalina that I wouldn't trade for the world I'm a bit partial.

 

[SilverSage]

Do keep in mind that mutts are not the same as all domestic dogs are the same species. A wolf crossed with a dog is more comparable.

 

[thekarens]

There are plenty of birds available to keep the lines pure. Hybrids are not necessary and IMO breeding it is wrong. I don't support their existence and don't believe they should ever have been created to begin with.

Does that make their owners evil or bad parrot owners? Absolutely not. But personally I don't believe in breeding or buying hybrids and personally wouldn't do it.

Dogs are not hybrids, whether they be mutts or cross breeds.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Even a Plant can be a Hybrid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_(biology)

 

[SilverSage]

There have also been experiments with human/hog hybrids in labs, but they were terminated early. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should (though obviously crossing parrot species doesn't even begin to come close to that, I'm just making a point in regards to even plants can be hybrids).

HOWEVER

Let's remember that all of us here LOVE PARROTS, and this is a place where we can come to discuss, even if we disagree. Many of us disagree very strongly on key issues like flight vs. clipping, diet, training techniques, the ethics of breeding in general (hybrid or pure), hand raising and weaning issues, the sale of unweaned babies... The list goes on and on. Yet we all manage to be there for each other. Let's keep that in mind as we discuss this issue. I personally do not agree with the hybridization of species, but certain breeders I highly respect not only agree with it but practice it. We each can list the reasons we do or do not agree with any certain view point on any given issue, and as long as we all remember to behave like adults and keep our feelings and our words in check, we all should be able to move forward having gained a deeper understanding of our fellow parrot lover.