Blue and Gold Macaw

The blue-and-gold macaw is aptly named, with a gorgeous blue body and dark lemon-yellow chest, this is a bird that’s hard to miss. It also referred to as the blue-and-yellow macaw. This macaw has a green strip of feathers just above its black beak, and a partially naked face that will blush pink when it is excited. Its feet are dark gray or black, and it has a black “beard” of feathers just below its beak.

Native Region / Natural Habitat

Blue-and-gold macaws are native to South and Central America, where they inhabit forests and woodlands. Their range includes Venezuela south to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, as well as parts of Panama.

Care & Feeding

In the wild, most macaws, including blue-and-gold macaws, eat a variety of seeds, plant material, fruits, and nuts. The wild macaw’s diet tends to be high in fat, which is acceptable for a bird that spends its day flying through the rainforest, finding food, nesting, and rearing chicks.

Companion macaws are lucky to have a much easier life than their wild counterparts, but they miss out on the ability to forage for their food, a behavior that comes naturally. Macaws, including blue-and-gold macaws, thrive on a nutritionally balanced diet, such as Lafeber’s Nutri-Berries and Lafeber’s Premium Daily Diet Pellets, as well as fresh fruits and veggies and healthy table foods.

If a blue-and-gold macaw remains healthy, it can live upwards of 70 years. This is a bird that will be with you for a lifetime, and you should prepare for this possibility, which may even include a trust or a clause in your Will dedicated to the bird.