The Yellow-collared Macaw is one of the fabulous “mini” macaws. The name comes from the yellow collar that extends around the back part of the neck. This wonderful little macaw can make a great pet for someone who wants a macaw type bird, but wants a smaller pet.
Yellow-collared Macaws are lovable, friendly, and intelligent. When hand reared, it will become quite tame and will affectionately greet you with anticipation. This mini macaw is very lively and loves to play and clown about. Eager to play and enjoy interacting with their keepers, they can be adept at learning some tricks and can also say a few words. Despite their small size however, they can be loud and have a strong, harsh call.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Genus: | Ara |
| Species: | auricollis |
Scientific name
Yellow-collared Macaw, also known as the Yellow-naped Macaw – Ara auricollis
Distribution
The yellow-collared macaws’ natural habitat runs from the northern and eastern Bolivia , east into Brazil, and south into northern Paraguay and northwestern Argentina. There are isolated populations in central Brazil as well.
They inhabit widely varying environments from humid forests, woodlands, and agricultural areas. Yellow-collared macaws adapt well to areas where people live and is considered securely established in the wild where it is frequently seen in large flocks.
Size – Weight
Yellow-collared macaws can reach full lengths of 38cm (15 inches).
Description
Yellow-collared Macaws are a mini-macaw, like the Hahn’s Macaw and Severe macaw, that have predominantly green bodies. The forehead, lower cheeks and crown are brown. The edge of the wings are blue, mainly on the primary feathers. The tail is blue at the tip and becomes reddish brown towards the base. The underside of the tail and the flight feathers is yellow. The bare face is creamy white and the bill is dark gray that turns lighter towards the tip. The legs are pink and the eyes are orange.
Care and feeding
A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. They eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat.
Social Behaviors
The Yellow-collared Macaw can become a very good pet for someone who wants to experience the macaw, but wants a smaller bird. These mini macaws are very social and friendly. They are intelligent and eager for attention and play. With a good disposition and responding well to handling and training, they are ideal for the beginner. But they are a typical macaw and can be cranky at times and may prefer only one person or only one gender.
Breeding/Reproduction
The usual clutch consists of three or four eggs laid two or three days apart. The eggs incubate for about 25 days. The babies will fledge after about 10 weeks in the nest. Feed the parents plenty of greenstuffs, corn-on-the-cob, carrots, and fruit laced with food supplement while they are rearing the youngsters.
Sexual differences
Potential Problems
Can be noisy (as can all macaws).
Availability
The Yellowed-collared Macaw is a common mini macaw. It should be easy to find these macaws for sale.
Golden-collared Macaw (Image Credit: Ginkgo100, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
