melissasparrots
Rollerblading along the road
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I think they tend to be more even tempered and interact more like a child would. They are less emotional and a little more predictable. I've known plenty of people who's macaws have become aggressive during the breeding season though, so as with any bird once maturity hits you could have a rough time once in a while. Interesting the dog connection. For years I've compared my hyacinth to a Labrador puppy with a beak. She does like to play rough and during the formative years the gentleness training can push your patience. I enjoy my macaw a lot more now that she is an adult than when she was a baby. I think if I ever have the urge to get another macaw it will be a rehome just so I don't have to do the baby thing. Mine is way more clingy than either of my cockatoos. She's also quite a bit more vocal as well. I know, that totally is not the stereotype, but its the way it is in my house. The cockatoos have a few minutes to blow off steam and thats it. The macaw vocalizes a lot periodically throughout the day. And she's the first to start screaming with the sunrise and is most likely to scream back when another bird gets going.
I'm not sure the macaw lifestyle is all that different from a cockatoo lifestyle. Its more involved than the amazon lifestyle for sure. On the surface, the level of commitment seems pretty similar to that of the cockatoos. However, there is totally different type of interaction than the 'toos that I've never been able to put into words. As a long time cockatoo owner, it took me a while to become a macaw person.
Just a quick story to underscore the difference between my macaw and the cockatoos:
If I turn my back on the cockatoos, they immediately take off across the room to destroy stuff. But to the cockatoos, its for the joy of getting away with something. They love to figure out how things work and have a much greater capacity for deviousness than the macaw. As unpopular as this opinion may be here, I also think the cockatoos might be a smidgen more intelligent. At least more so than hys. GW might be another story as I've heard more than one person say GW are among the smartest of the large macaws.
If I turn my back on the hyacinth, she will immediately launch herself at me. If that isn't an option, or its already been made clear to her that she's not getting attention that way, then Cosmo will immediately look for trouble. She does it for the sole purpose of getting me to come running. One of my greatest frustrations with her as a baby was that she did not grasp the concept that bad=jail. I'd be in another room, she'd fly over to the cockatoo cage and start taking things apart. I'd walk back in and she'd totally have a look on her face that says "Ooops, did I do that? Gosh you better come get me before I get into more trouble." She was able to make the immediate mental jump that trouble equals mom. Since mom giving her a ride to jail(cage) was one step farther removed, she never grasped it. I've had the best luck keeping her off the other bird cages by ignoring her. Eventually she gets bored and goes back to her gym once she figures out it isn't any fun anymore since I won't come get her.
Also, while I'm sure macaws are very intelligent, they don't always express it. Or maybe its just a matter of not having to think too hard when you can force things to happen with sheer power. The macaws first attempt at anything challenging is to break it. If that doesn't work, she might get bored and give up. The cockatoos will keep thinking it over until they figure it out. With a macaw, not breakable means not worth bothering with. At least that's how it is with mine.
Melissa
