Greenwing or Military Macaw?

JackTheParrotLover · Mar 8, 2016

Hello everyone, this is my first thread here:09:. I was wondering if anyone could help me decide wether to get a Greenwing or a Military Macaw. I've never owned a bird before but I work with them twice a week as I volunteer at my local aquarium. (Yes, the aquarium has birds) I've been researching for about nine months and have worked with them for four. Unfortunately, the aquarium doesn't have a Military or a Greenwing but they do have a Cockatoo, a Yellow-Naped Amazon, a Catalina macaw, and a B&G. I don't want a B&G as I want a bird that can chill, and not constantly want to play with me. I need both in a bird, calmness and playfulness, and B&Gs and hybrids don't offer me that. I will be getting the bird this summer so I want to start researching breeders now, but I can't do that until I can decide which bird I want. Oh, and there's no place to play with macaws that are for sale near the area that I live in. Thanks ahead of time guys, hopefully you'll be able to help me find the perfect macaw!

Birdman666 · Mar 8, 2016

Militaries can be quite beaky. They'd be the more independent of the two. Militaries can also tend to have "one person" issues... they are one of those species that needs extra socialization.

Greenwings are calm, but they will also want to be handled/with you. My greenwing is pretty close to full on velcro bird.

Macaws tend to be "high maintenance" in the need to be handled and played with department. ANY AND ALL macaws. These are the most "toddler-like" of parrots. Like little kids, they need a lot of hands on nurturing guidance. That's the fun and the love part, but it's also a pain in the butt sometimes. But that's just how these birds are. They are one of the most interactive of the bunch. if that's not what you are looking for, don't get one.

JerseyWendy · Mar 8, 2016

Very well said, Mark!

I have both a GW and a B&G, and believe it or not, they are both quite mellow, self entertain well, yet they absolutely MUST be handled daily (for prolonged periods of time) in order to remain this way.

Birdman666 · Mar 8, 2016

My rule of thumb with a large macaw is that you can expect this to be a 3-4 hour a day job, minimum. Outside the cage and interacted with.

If they don't get the interaction they need, you tend to start having behavior problems. Macaws that don't get handled DO NOT STAY TAME.

Macaws that get locked up too much, tend to bite because they get angry... they also tend to be more prone to screaming and tantrums. Sometimes they also pluck.

The calm birds are the ones that get interacted with, but still get discipline they need/have boundaries.

Not enough stimulation, or spoiled bird syndrome/no boundary issues will cause behavior problems. You can almost set your watch by it.

Interaction doesn't mean they have to spend 3-4 hours playing on your lap (though they will like that) it means out on a playstand, in close proximity to you, and being talked to/interacted with/paid attention to.

Like large toos, there is a reason these birds end up in rescues. Half the people out there get them, without having the capacity to meet their care needs, and without first knowing how to train one. Big Mistake!

And then the bird suffers the most... but it's not a good situation for bird or human.

JackTheParrotLover · Mar 8, 2016

Birdman666 said:
My rule of thumb with a large macaw is that you can expect this to be a 3-4 hour a day job, minimum. Outside the cage and interacted with.

If they don't get the interaction they need, you tend to start having behavior problems. Macaws that don't get handled DO NOT STAY TAME.

Macaws that get locked up too much, tend to bite because they get angry... they also tend to be more prone to screaming and tantrums. Sometimes they also pluck.

The calm birds are the ones that get interacted with, but still get discipline they need/have boundaries.

Not enough stimulation, or spoiled bird syndrome/no boundary issues will cause behavior problems. You can almost set your watch by it.

Interaction doesn't mean they have to spend 3-4 hours playing on your lap (though they will like that) it means out on a playstand, in close proximity to you, and being talked to/interacted with/paid attention to.

Like large toos, there is a reason these birds end up in rescues. Half the people out there get them, without having the capacity to meet their care needs, and without first knowing how to train one. Big Mistake!

And then the bird suffers the most... but it's not a good situation for bird or human.

I didn't mean I wouldn't want it near me. I plan to do what you said and keep a play stand in the living room, so when I'm out there, he can be around me if I need him off me at the time. I do work at home, so I need the bird to be able to sit next to me on the floor or on my lap without breaking me to play, although most the time I'll be playing. Thanks a lot for the helpful reply!

Rroberds · Mar 8, 2016

I never had exsperiance with military's so I won't speak to them other then they are significantly smaller then a Green wing if size is a consideration. I have heard they are a bit nippy.

I'm partial to Green Wings. I love their coloring and i feel like they have a good all around personality, plenty playful but can chill as well. Like I said a green wing is a big bird.

Birdman666 · Mar 9, 2016

Well, if you're asking me would I prefer to own a greenwing or a military?

That is kind of a no brainer for me.

Maggie is an amazing bird, and I absolutely could not imagine life without her.

Even when she's being a pain in the butt...

Birdman666 · Mar 9, 2016

JackTheParrotLover said:
Birdman666 said:

M

I didn't mean I wouldn't want it near me. I plan to do what you said and keep a play stand in the living room, so when I'm out there, he can be around me if I need him off me at the time. I do work at home, so I need the bird to be able to sit next to me on the floor or on my lap without breaking me to play, although most the time I'll be playing. Thanks a lot for the helpful reply!

Click to expand...

Just making sure you are aware of it.

That's something that happens with these birds all too frequently.

JackTheParrotLover · Mar 9, 2016

Birdman666 said:
Well, if you're asking me would I prefer to own a greenwing or a military?

That is kind of a no brainer for me.

Maggie is an amazing bird, and I absolutely could not imagine life without her.

Even when she's being a pain in the butt...

Ah! Maggie's adorable! I've heard that green wings are the more "cuddly" ones, but if I'm correct you can't cuddle them to much or it leads to negative behavior later on, am I right?

thekarens · Mar 9, 2016

JackTheParrotLover said:
Birdman666 said:

Well, if you're asking me would I prefer to own a greenwing or a military?

That is kind of a no brainer for me.

Maggie is an amazing bird, and I absolutely could not imagine life without her.

Even when she's being a pain in the butt...

Click to expand...

Ah! Maggie's adorable! I've heard that green wings are the more "cuddly" ones, but if I'm correct you can't cuddle them to much or it leads to negative behavior later on, am I right?

I don't know where you heard that, but that's not correct.

Not a greenwing (which I highly recommend) but still a daily event in my house.

Birdman666 · Mar 9, 2016

OMG! Look at Zoe!

Actually, what happens is the opposite. If they don't get enough they tend to act up... THESE ARE ONE OF THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED BIRDS OUT THERE, IF NOT THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED.

My Greenwing will waddle down and COME FIND YOU... when she's craving some lap time.

I suggest you check out the mush mac thread. THIS is how these birds are.

WHERE YOU RUN INTO THE PROBLEMS WITH MACAWS ARE IF THERE ARE NO CLEAR BOUNDARIES SET.

IF THE BIRD THINKS HE'S THE ONE IN CHARGE... HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT.

They are manipulative little buggers.

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 10, 2016

OMG! What a "little" Snuggle Muffin! lol

Jim

Birdman666 · Mar 10, 2016

The correct advice is that you need to structure the interaction.

The mistake people make, is they get these birds initially, then hold them quite literally all the time. The bird thinks THAT is how it's gonna be....

THEN the novelty of parrot ownership wears off, and the bird ends up stuffed in a cage doing life in solitary, deeply unhappy, wondering why no one loves him anymore... AND MAD AT EVERYONE because you keep him locked up, and don't appear to care anymore.

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN EVER POSSIBLY DO TO A MACAW IS TO IGNORE IT. They don't take kindly to that. They want interaction.

So, if you have a set routine, and the bird gets into that routine.

This is when we get up.
This is feeding time.
This is lap time.
This is training/play time.
This is the time you have to play on your own.
This is dinner time.
This is when we sleep.

If you structure their routine, much the same way you structure the routine of a human toddler, they do better.

1500 · Mar 10, 2016

It has taken a lot of work, but the change is Bonny is amazing. Bonny is half military and is so far very beaky, and still working on pressure training.

Edit: I am experiencing some of the issues that Birdman666 has described. I work from home and as such Bonny gets to spend all day every day out of her cage, and we interact off and on all day. But this has lead to her now screaming her head off if I don't play with her exactly when she wants me to play. So we are working on boundaries, along with many other things.

Ann333 · Mar 10, 2016

Birdman666 said:
The correct advice is that you need to structure the interaction.

The mistake people make, is they get these birds initially, then hold them quite literally all the time. The bird thinks THAT is how it's gonna be....

THEN the novelty of parrot ownership wears off, and the bird ends up stuffed in a cage doing life in solitary, deeply unhappy, wondering why no one loves him anymore... AND MAD AT EVERYONE because you keep him locked up, and don't appear to care anymore.

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN EVER POSSIBLY DO TO A MACAW IS TO IGNORE IT. They don't take kindly to that. They want interaction.

So, if you have a set routine, and the bird gets into that routine.

This is when we get up.
This is feeding time.
This is lap time.
This is training/play time.
This is the time you have to play on your own.
This is dinner time.
This is when we sleep.

If you structure their routine, much the same way you structure the routine of a human toddler, they do better.

I love the way this is worded it applies to conures as well I have noticed. Probably most birds. They need routine and structure. My tiny conure throws a BIG fit when he feels like he has been ignored for too long. Usually after class when I come home I have to sit outside his cage and talk to him and calm him down so he is not still angry when I let him out or else I get bit.

Birdman666 · Mar 10, 2016

Ann333 said:
Birdman666 said:

I love the way this is worded it applies to conures as well I have noticed. Probably most birds. They need routine and structure. My tiny conure throws a BIG fit when he feels like he has been ignored for too long. Usually after class when I come home I have to sit outside his cage and talk to him and calm him down so he is not still angry when I let him out or else I get bit.

Click to expand...

Well, macaws and conures are very, very closely related species...

It's been my position that a conure is really just a shrunken macaw.

Many of the same behaviors, just in a smaller package...

Birdman666 · Mar 10, 2016

With wild birds, if you watch the wild flocks, THERE IS SAFETY IN STRUCTURE.

We did it this way yesterday, and we are still alive. Let's do it that way from now on.

They have various places they forrage during the day. They make the rounds. Then they go to the clay licks. Then they go to their roosting spots.

The same thing happens, more or less, in the same areas, every day. And the parents teach the youngsters. They take them around and show them. This is when, and where, and how we look for food. These are dangerous things. Here is what we look out for. This is where, and when we roost for the night.

So, there absolutely IS a flock structure.

And the need for this is INSTINCTIVE.

THEY TAKE TO IT. THEY ADAPT WELL, AND IT MAKES THEM FEEL SAFE.

THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

With some birds, deviating from that structure, if it's too rigid, also makes them feel it's UNSAFE. You take them out of their comfort zone.

So you also want to expose them to new things once in awhile, and you don't want to enforce it so rigidly that the slightest deviation from the routine causes emotional upset. THAT is how neurotic pluckers are created, in my opinion. Especially if the bird is raised in isolation, and the routine is all he knows.

JackTheParrotLover · Mar 11, 2016

Birdman666 said:
The correct advice is that you need to structure the interaction.

The mistake people make, is they get these birds initially, then hold them quite literally all the time. The bird thinks THAT is how it's gonna be....

THEN the novelty of parrot ownership wears off, and the bird ends up stuffed in a cage doing life in solitary, deeply unhappy, wondering why no one loves him anymore... AND MAD AT EVERYONE because you keep him locked up, and don't appear to care anymore.

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN EVER POSSIBLY DO TO A MACAW IS TO IGNORE IT. They don't take kindly to that. They want interaction.

So, if you have a set routine, and the bird gets into that routine.

This is when we get up.
This is feeding time.
This is lap time.
This is training/play time.
This is the time you have to play on your own.
This is dinner time.
This is when we sleep.

If you structure their routine, much the same way you structure the routine of a human toddler, they do better.

Thank you for the great advice here! This really helped.

JackTheParrotLover · Mar 11, 2016

Birdman666 said:
OMG! Look at Zoe!

Actually, what happens is the opposite. If they don't get enough they tend to act up... THESE ARE ONE OF THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED BIRDS OUT THERE, IF NOT THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED.

My Greenwing will waddle down and COME FIND YOU... when she's craving some lap time.

I suggest you check out the mush mac thread. THIS is how these birds are.

WHERE YOU RUN INTO THE PROBLEMS WITH MACAWS ARE IF THERE ARE NO CLEAR BOUNDARIES SET.

IF THE BIRD THINKS HE'S THE ONE IN CHARGE... HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT.

They are manipulative little buggers.

When you say "most attention oriented" do you mean all macaws or specifically greenwings? :red1:

thekarens · Mar 11, 2016

JackTheParrotLover said:
Birdman666 said:

OMG! Look at Zoe!

Actually, what happens is the opposite. If they don't get enough they tend to act up... THESE ARE ONE OF THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED BIRDS OUT THERE, IF NOT THE MOST ATTENTION ORIENTED.

My Greenwing will waddle down and COME FIND YOU... when she's craving some lap time.

I suggest you check out the mush mac thread. THIS is how these birds are.

WHERE YOU RUN INTO THE PROBLEMS WITH MACAWS ARE IF THERE ARE NO CLEAR BOUNDARIES SET.

IF THE BIRD THINKS HE'S THE ONE IN CHARGE... HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT.

They are manipulative little buggers.

Click to expand...

When you say "most attention oriented" do you mean all macaws or specifically greenwings?

Macaws in general

Greenwing or Military Macaw?

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Best in case perches?

Definitely my macaw now :D

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