Hahn's Macaw

Looks how to spot one

Feathered; small macaw with a long tapering tail

The smallest of all macaws, built like a scaled-down version of its big relatives. The body is bright green, with a band of slate blue on the forehead above the beak and a small patch of bare white facial skin around orange eyes. The bend and leading edge of the wing turn red once the bird matures, and the underside of the wings and tail is olive-toned. Hahn's macaws have an all-dark beak.132

Personality what they are like

Hahn's macaws act very much like the large macaws, just in a smaller package. Hand-raised birds tend to be affectionate, playful and full of comic antics, and they are often described as gentler with their beaks than bigger macaws. They are quick learners that can pick up many words, phrases, whistles and tricks. Their voice is loud and scratchy rather than musical, so they suit homes where some noise is welcome.31

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very active and needs daily time outside the cage to climb and fly, plus play gyms, swings, ladders and foraging toys. Regular training sessions and fresh challenges keep this clever bird content.312

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Offer a roomy cage filled with perches of different thicknesses and chewable toys that get rotated often. Keep plenty of bird-safe material around for chewing and give chances to bathe.23

Home where they are happiest

A spacious cage indoors, ideally with regular access to a larger flight area. The World Parrot Trust advises against keeping these birds permanently in a small indoor cage and suggests seasonal time in a big aviary where possible.21

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In the wild they eat berries, palm fruit, flowers and seeds. In the home a balanced pellet diet forms the base, topped up with fresh fruit and vegetables, some corn and a modest share of seeds and nuts.23

Company who they like around

A highly social flock bird that needs a lot of daily interaction with its people. In the wild it gathers in large flocks outside the breeding season.32

The story where it all began

Carl Linnaeus described the red-shouldered macaw in 1758 in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, naming it Psittacus nobilis. In 1912 Robert Ridgway created the genus Diopsittaca for it, a name that combines Greek words for noble and parrot. Hand-reared Hahn's macaws have since become the most familiar mini macaw in homes.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

The red-shouldered macaw is listed as Least Concern (Wikipedia); the World Parrot Trust page describes the population as stable.1

CITES

Appendix II, so international trade is regulated.2

Taxonomy

Three subspecies are recognised: nobilis (Hahn's macaw), cumanensis (noble macaw) and longipennis (long-winged macaw). Hahn's macaws are told apart from noble macaws by their black lower mandible.1