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Buffon's Macaw

expressmailtome

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What makes it so difficult to find mates is that they can not be sold across state lines.
 

Toy

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It's not impossible to obtain a Buffon Macaw from another state, but laws are in place due to them being on the ESA list. I found a couple breeders with prices $1600 & under. Just google & you'll find them.

This is the Federal rule/law of the Endangered Species Act that went into affect November2, 2015 about owning, selling, crossing state lines, etc. with a Buffon's Macaw: https://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2015/pdfs/Military-and-great-green-macaws-FL-FAQs-Final.pdf

FYI: A few highlights from the rule/law article....

"Birds that are born, bought or sold after the final listing date would fall under the ESA restrictions. It is possible, under certain conditions, to obtain a permit authorizing certain activities if you meet the issuance criteria." You can travel within the USA, with your bird, for non-commercial purposes.

If a breeder out of your state has a bird you wish to buy to better the species, they & you can obtain a special permit: "While the ESA does not prohibit intrastate (within a state) sale of an endangered species, it does prohibit interstate (between states) commercial sale of endangered species, unless a buyer can demonstrate that such sales enhance the propagation or survival of the species, or is for scientific research."
 

BrianB

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It seems that my boy has a vocabulary. I’m pretty sure I heard him says shut up because some of the birds were fussing. This morning while sitting at the island having coffee with family that’s visiting he started mumbling. Out of the blue and very clear he said “assh@le” and then what sounded like “Aflac” from the insurance company with the talking duck.

I can’t say I’m surprised to see this part of him now that he’s starting to settle down. When I open the cage door he immediately lifts his leg for me and steps up. Yesterday while I had him in the island he walked to me and stepped up when I asked him to. I wanted to see how he did on the floor so I put him down next to the island and he trotted off across the room to his cage and went back inside.
 

Toy

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When I got my B&G (at 2 years of age) she said 3 things....Shut up, Whatz Up & Hello. Since then she's never repeated the first 2, as we never say them. We also do not watch any TV with bad language. She must not have liked her name (Doobie aka pot) then either, as she never said it. She took to her new name (JaJaBinks) & in a few days was saying it.

When he does say any bad words ignore him. Hopefully after awhile he may stop saying the bad words he learned before. People don't realize what they are doing when teaching birds to say bad things. They think it's funny.

It's great he's stepping up for you so well. He sees his cage as a safe place, so he goes back to it freely. Mine does the same.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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i haven’t been able to find them for sale. I found a posting from last year for a female that was 6 thousand dollars. One of the reasons I got him so cheap is that the store owner couldn’t find them for sale through her contacts and she’s been in the business for 30 years. She said she knows I’ll take care of him either way.

Years ago, I knew a breeder in Charleston that either had a pair of Buffon's or Red fronted macaws. I'm inclined to think they were Buffon's since he raised other hard to find species, vinaceous amazons, illigers, crimson bellied to name just a small few. This was back in 2004-2006. I know he sold those macaws as well as the rest of his flock when he decided to go from being a vet tech to a veterinarian ( back to school). Those macaws went through a few hands and I have no idea where they ended up. Even though you are pretty far away he may still be in contact with Buffon's people
It seems that my boy has a vocabulary. I’m pretty sure I heard him says shut up because some of the birds were fussing. This morning while sitting at the island having coffee with family that’s visiting he started mumbling. Out of the blue and very clear he said “assh@le” and then what sounded like “Aflac” from the insurance company with the talking duck.

I can’t say I’m surprised to see this part of him now that he’s starting to settle down. When I open the cage door he immediately lifts his leg for me and steps up. Yesterday while I had him in the island he walked to me and stepped up when I asked him to. I wanted to see how he did on the floor so I put him down next to the island and he trotted off across the room to his cage and went back inside.

I'm so happy he's doing so well with you! Yes, birds that can mimic speech do tell what happens in a home and he is certainly telling on his previous home. None of mine say any curse words ( even though I do but not in front of the two biggies). I say happy things to them so I enjoy a hearty "Good morning to youuuuuu" from Lola or songs and cute things. Astro on the other hand tells me to "GET OUT!" ( what I say to the dogs if they wander in while I'm in her area) every time I get near her space. She used to say our standard poodles name Jesse but that has grown less since he passed away 9 years ago. Female green cheeks aren't known to mimic words but she is clear as day with that and her name.
 

expressmailtome

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It's not impossible to obtain a Buffon Macaw from another state, but laws are in place due to them being on the ESA list. I found a couple breeders with prices $1600 & under. Just google & you'll find them.

This is the Federal rule/law of the Endangered Species Act that went into affect November2, 2015 about owning, selling, crossing state lines, etc. with a Buffon's Macaw: https://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2015/pdfs/Military-and-great-green-macaws-FL-FAQs-Final.pdf

FYI: A few highlights from the rule/law article....

"Birds that are born, bought or sold after the final listing date would fall under the ESA restrictions. It is possible, under certain conditions, to obtain a permit authorizing certain activities if you meet the issuance criteria." You can travel within the USA, with your bird, for non-commercial purposes.

If a breeder out of your state has a bird you wish to buy to better the species, they & you can obtain a special permit: "While the ESA does not prohibit intrastate (within a state) sale of an endangered species, it does prohibit interstate (between states) commercial sale of endangered species, unless a buyer can demonstrate that such sales enhance the propagation or survival of the species, or is for scientific research."
While that is nice to say in theory, permits are not given to everyone that requests them. You must meet their specific requirements.
 

BrianB

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While that is nice to say in theory, permits are not given to everyone that requests them. You must meet their specific requirements.
mom starting to investigate that. I think they make it difficult on purpose. There isn’t one place to go that says if you have this type of bird and want to do this or that, then you need this permit and you can apply by filling out this form. There is a lot to dig through to find it. It’s early and I’m in no rush.
 

Sarah13

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I am so happy you have him and he is settling in.
If you get any photos, please post. I love meeting and seeing the new birds of the group.
 

BrianB

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He doesn’t like ceiling fans. We never use the ceiling fan because we let baby birds fly here. He was sitting on my knee while family say around me. He looked up and saw the fan and got really nervous and then he got loud. When I took him out of the area he calmed down. Who knows. Maybe it’s past trauma. He does have an issue with his right wing. Maybe that’s the reason.
 

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macawpower58

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He's a big boy! And gorgeous too.
Sounds like you might be right about that fan.
I know a guy who's grey lost a wing to a ceiling fan.
So dangerous to birds.
 

Big Blues

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He doesn’t like ceiling fans. We never use the ceiling fan because we let baby birds fly here. He was sitting on my knee while family say around me. He looked up and saw the fan and got really nervous and then he got loud. When I took him out of the area he calmed down. Who knows. Maybe it’s past trauma. He does have an issue with his right wing. Maybe that’s the reason.
Awwwwwww, he is handsome. The fan could be history or could be he’s afraid because it looks fearful to him with those extra large fan-wings overhead if he has never seen one before.
 

BrianB

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At this point, anything is possible. There aren't any fans at the store, so it may be something truly new to him. So much of what I was told about his previous experience, likes and dislikes seems to not be true. Every day is something new for us both. I learn about him, and he learns about me. I believe he has a much larger vocabulary than anyone knows. I heard several new things today, but he didn't repeat it and I didn't understand it the first time. Who knows what he picked up while he was being ignored. The one bad word I heard will be ignored, and if I hear more I'll try to redirect them into something more appropriate.
 

BrianB

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More progress. Something spooked him and for a few minutes, he let me scratch his neck and pet his head. When he was over it, he was over it. Aside from that, he doesn't let me touch anything other than his beak. I do that by stroking my own nose first, then asking if I can pet him before I touch his beak. I've tried it by touching my head first, then asking if I can pet him, but he's not there yet. A friend suggested I give him a dried pine cone to tear up. I held it out to him, and he took it but threw it to the floor. I tried again and he did the same thing. I put it in his food dish thinking it was something new that he wasn't sure of and that would give him time to approach it on his own terms. That didn't work, and he got angry about it. When I pulled it out I dropped it on the bottom of his cage and then he was ok. I guess that's where he wants it to be.

I'm hearing more talking, but can't really make out the words yet. I do hear him say shut up when the goldens are making noise, and feeding the sun conure chicks in the morning seems to bother him. I hear him grumbling in his cage. It happens at 5 am, so I guess I would be grouchy too if I didn't have a reason to be up. He's made no attempt to bite me or anyone else. When I'm holding him there are times when he gets nervous and he starts to lean towards his cage. I take him back and give him time to settle before I approach him again. Aside from him throwing food all over the place, I have no complaints.
 

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Well, I had my first bite today. Not actually a bite but it did draw blood. He was on the island and I put my arm down to pick him up. He stepped up and then went up my arm and across my shoulder to my other arm. Unfortunately he slipped and grabbed onto the first thing In reach, my ear. I jerked my head away and he went to the floor. I reached down and picked him up and put him back in cage. I have a scrape on my ear and there was a little blood, but I’ve had a worse bite from a scarlet. Another learning experience, but no more trips across the shoulder.
 

aooratrix

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I've never heard of a Buffons for $1600:they're usually on the order of 3k or more

Yeah, that wasn't a bite. He was trying not to fall If he ever bites you, God forbid, you'll know you've been bitten :)
 

BrianB

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Slow and steady progress. I’ve ordered a play stand so he can stand more time out of the cage. He’s had some time on the kitchen island each day. I put a few things around to see if he will interact with them. He has some toys in his cage but doesn’t really interact with them much. I picked up some of those cardboard rings and we’ve been playing a game with them. When he’s done on the island, I put him on top of his cage and hold out the ring for him. At first he wasn’t sure what to do with it. I put it across the corner of the cage and stepped back. He grabbed it and threw it. Now it’s become a game. I either put it on the top and he picks it up or he takes it from me and throws it. Sometimes I hold on and the he pulls at it. It’s slowly being torn apart but I have plenty more. This afternoon I put him on top of the cage for some playtime then stepped away to get a drink. He went back in the cage by himself and when I walked back he came back out. That’s not something I’ve seen him do before. I’ve left the door open before to see what his comfort level is and he’s ignored it or crawled across the opening to get across but not come out. I’m hoping the play stand will help him be more trusting.
 

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I sprayed him off with a misting bottle and he really enjoyed it. I’m not comfortable putting him in the shower yet, but maybe the sink is an option the next time. He’s sitting on top of his cage preening himself while I’m laying on the sofa with my iPad. The golden conures are doing their evening screaming and he tells them to shut up once in a while. The cat is on my lap and refuses to even look at the bird.
 

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Sounds good to me. I think @Mockinbirdiva was referring to Birds by Veta. They were active exhibitors in SPBE and had a shop selling mostly their own babies. I'm pretty sure they had Buffons, but I think they've been out of aviculture for some time now.

I'd contact Dee at AZ parrots. If she doesn't have Buffons, she might know who does in Arizona.
 

BrianB

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Sounds good to me. I think @Mockinbirdiva was referring to Birds by Veta. They were active exhibitors in SPBE and had a shop selling mostly their own babies. I'm pretty sure they had Buffons, but I think they've been out of aviculture for some time now.

I'd contact Dee at AZ parrots. If she doesn't have Buffons, she might know who does in Arizona.
I know Dee, but not very well. I’ve heard from other breeders that she’s trying to retire, but you can never tell when one breeder talks about another. I’ll reach out and see at some point. I’m not ready to get him a girl yet. He’s settling down but still has a ways to go.
 
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