Differences within one kind of hybrids

[Konrad]

Hello All!

Let me firstly introduce myself. I'm from Poland and macaws have been my love from my early childhood. Today in my thirties my dream may finaly come true!

My question is as follows:

Are there any noticeable differences in colors&behaviour between two hybrid macaws of the same kind depending on which species is a mother/father? For instance, are Harlequins fathered by GW more likely to be calm and cuddly than those fathered by B&G? Or maybe a more contrast example with Catalina. Am I splitting a hair here?

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful answers!

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Best of luck with your future Big Mac!

Your theory sounds logical, hopefully some experienced breeders and macaw enthusiasts will be along to give you answers.

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome to the forums!! I myself am also a macaw lover and absolutely LOVE hybrids! Harlequins, Shamrocks and Camelots are my favorite

As far as personalities go, it really does depend on the individual bird, though a Harlequin ideally should be a calmer, even tempered bird than say, a typically feisty, high strung Scarlet. However that's not always the case. What I've heard is, the farther out the generations (F2, F3), the more unpredictable their personalities become. I do know that the father of the hybrid usually dominates the colors of the babies, but it really is a guess as to what sort of temperament it will inherit.

So a male Greenwing mixed to a Blue & gold female will most likely have babies with a much redder chest, but may end up inheriting the goofiness of the B&G and may be a little more active and vocal. But then again, I've heard of some Greenwings who are feisty as all heck, so classifying a species of macaw as being more 'laid back' than others simply doesn't work in some cases.

So there's really no sure way to tell what you're going to get personality wise. However, if you stick to the F1 generations, Harlequin - (Blue & oOld x Greenwing) or Catalina (Scarlet x Blue & Gold) the Harlequin should be calmer, theoretically.

I have heard of an F2 hybrid (1/4 Scarlet, 1/4 Greenwing, 1/2 Blue & Gold) end up becoming pretty feisty/pinchy like the Scarlet, despite only being 1/4 Scarlet. The Camelots, Catalina, and Shamrocks have a higher chance of being more pinchy/feisty/high strung because of the Scarlet in them.

 

[SailBoat]

The numerical rules that define the Statics of a Bell Shaped Curve can be used to define the likely outcomes of Hybrids and their 'many' variations from a single pair. For an individual that wanting to obtain such a Parrot, they need to be aware that the numbers just do not care! Now it is likelihood that a pair producing chicks at the far ends of the curve is less likely that the pair producing near the center. That said, the stronger the traits of one parent over the other, the greater the likelihood of shifting the 'mean.' It must be understood that those shifts can be specific to species, but also just as likely to an individual.

So, what does that all mean regarding any specific chick?

With a pair of a specific species, there will be natural variations in coloration and personalities.

With hybrids, the natural variation is greatly increased and the resulting 'mean' can shift pair to pair with no known way to calculate a constant result.

In simpler terms: The greater the difference(s) between the two mating pair the greater the variations in all aspects of the resulting chicks over time! Its a gamble as to what the result will be and whether there is or will be any consistent results.

" May the Buy Beware!"


FYI: Poland is a very beautiful country! I have been several times on business and always enjoyed the people and the country! Most of my travels had been in Southern Poland.

 

[SilleIN]

It is always much easier to predict colour than temperament even in the "pure breds". My B&G Honey is as sweet as can be. Even if she doesn't really want to do something, her wish to please and coorperate will aways make her do it anyway. Her brother from the same clutch is her complete opposite. He will try to bite to get out of even a simple task as step up. After trying for some time, he is now sold to a breeder in Holland, as a life as a pet is not in his best interest or the owners.

Honey and Kenzo have had almost exactly the same upbringing. The only difference is I have 3 other macaws and my friend only has 1 other macaw. Because he found it so hard to be a pet, we even tried to let Honey and Kenzo be together for some time, so he could see her being handled and trained. Every time he was taken for a training session, he would fly off several times. He hasn't even gotten simple tasks down yet and Honey have already been out for her first film job.

It's just to illustrate that even from the same clutch of same breed, there are great differences in personality, which cannot be foreseen.

That being said, you do have a greater chance of getting a more manageble bird, if you go with a harlequin, as both the B&G and greenwing usually easier pets.

Good luck in finding your future family member

 

[Birdman666]

A mush mac is a mush mac...

Sometimes you get hybrids of some of the beakier species that take on the beakiness...

but usually, with a mac, it's all about the attention.

These are lap birds at heart...