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(ara glucogularis)
They are an exceptionally beautiful teal or torquoise color, with a pearlescent or metallic feature to their feathers. When photographed depending on the lighting they will look anywhere from a aqua greenish color to Royal Blue. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a picture that captures their true beauty.
BTM's beaks are smaller and in proportion to their bodies.
In addition, their personalities are very unique and quite unlike any other Macaw.
SIZE: 35 inches, half of which is tail.
LIFESPAN: 40 to 80 years
One of the rarest Macaw species. These Macaw's are on the Endangered Species List. It is estimated that there are less than 200 in the wild, and not many more in captivity. The BTM was virtually unknown in Aviculture until the 1970's, and the first captive breeding took place in 1984. Until recently this species has been very difficult to breed, however, at long last a limited number of handfed babies are becoming available as pets.
LOUDNESS FACTOR: I find these birds to be relatively quite as far as volume. They have a softer and more pleasing voice than most of the large Macaws. They do tend to be more "chatty" than the other Macaws. Usually carrying out conversations for most of the day. They do not seem to be prone to screaming and even so do not attain the volume of the other Macaws.
CAGING: Require a large cage, at least 30 x 40 to meet exercise requirements. Cage should be a heavy guage Wire or Wrought Iron.
DIET: Pellets, Fresh Vegetables, Fresh Fruit, High Quality Nuts, on a daily basis.
TALKING ABILITY: As with most Macaw's they will generally learn a few words and phrases. Unfortunately, there are not enough of them, that are old enough to be able to accurately assess the limits of their talking ability.
PET POTENTIAL: EXCELLENT x 2! These are lovable, comical, somewhat crazy, and highly entertaining birds. They love to show off and seem to enjoy meeting people.
They will test your intelligence regularly and you will find yourself spending a good deal of time trying to outsmart them!
PERSONALITY: Extremely active and playful, and "extremely" is putting it mildly. They border on
"hyper" in a fun sort of way. They need LOTS of exercise, toys and diversions.
Both hard and soft wood chew toys are a necessity, although they are not passionate chewers.
Challenging, Puzzle toys are a MUST! A large, well put together play gym for exercise outside of
the cage is a necessity. BTMs can be demanding as other Macaw's however, the are also quite content
occupying themselves with challenging toys, or uninstalling the new toy, feed bowl or perch you just
installed in their cage! Exceptionally tame and friendly. Wild caught adult birds have been known to
tame down enough within a couple of weeks to be easily handled. Handfed babies generally adjust to new surroundings and people within a few days, and make very loving, cuddly pets. Highly inquisitive,
they are into everything. BTMs are very social and like to be part of the family activity.
Not a particularly "nippy", bird they can, however become quite cranky during moulting, particularly
their first full molt. Highly intelligent, they can be manipulative, bossy and a bit jealous as most intelligent species can. Training is essential.
These guys are the class clowns! It is not uncommon to find BTMs sleeping on their backs, or just lying about on their back. They seem to enjoy hanging from the top of their cage by one toe nail, and will eat, sleep and play in this position.
YOU HAVE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF OR SEEN A BTM. HOWEVER, ONCE YOU MEET ONE, YOU WILL NEVER FORGET THIS UNIQUE SPECIES AND IT WILL BECOME AN OBSESSION TO SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH ONE!
Breeding Season: Spring-Summer
Weaning Age: 20-28 weeks
Limited Availability
For more information about the Blue Throated Macaw, see the November 2002 issue of
Bird Talk Magazine.
A very good example of how lighting changes the color that you see.
Top Right: Casey and "Tessa"
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