my two year onld hybrid macaw is digging?

[RingoStar]

i have a two year old hybrid macaw, she is very sweet and well behaved. Recently when her and I cuddle she diggs in the blankets or other loose materials. I know for some birds such as African Greys this is a part of their natural behavior but I dont recall this being in a macaws repatoir, atleast not one past a few months old. Does this mean that she might be nesting? If so, is there any thing i should do ?

 

[Bokkapooh]

It's perfectly normal. Mera does it and she is only 13 months old.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Have you seen any of the videos of macaws at the clay digs they use as mineral supplements? They dig holes into the side of a cliff made of mud and eat the mineral rich clay for supplements. Scientists have found it is not only for the mineral supplements but also they use the clay to counteract the toxic chemicals some trees add to their fruits and leaves to make them unpalatable. So they are using the clay as a food supplement and a kind of antacid/medicine.

Have you seen videos of macaws constructing or enlarging their nest holes? The adult get in the hole and chew the wood on the walls into shavings and chunks then kick the resulting pieces of wood out of the nest with their feet, generally in a digging move. They also use the same digging/flinging move when they are digging out roots/tubers they eat from the ground.

My point is macaws use the digging/flinging, borrowing moves for many things in their interactions in the wild. Your baby is acting out instinctive behavior with you. Search macaws on YT or even just on the web and you will find many videos showing these behaviors.

 

[Monica]

My Charlie may not be a macaw, but if I'm under the covers, he tries to dig his way under! However, he gets really nippy when he's under the covers, and starts running/lunging with beak wide open, so it's not a behavior I encourage!

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My zons and CAG dig. I am sure most parrot species dig. Sunshine Senegal only gets into a digging mood when whe find a nest box and decides to spruce it up and when she plays our fling game where I fill a large bowl with treats and toys and she digs everything out of the bowl while I hold it and she flings with her feet.

 

[JLcribber]

Both my cockatoos dig.