What kind of macaw is Ozzie?

[Aaralynn8075]

Hi Friends!

We recently rescued, Ozzie, a 19yr old macaw. Although he was listed as a B&G, we quickly realized he is a hybrid. The vet is leaning toward Harlequin, but Catalinas look so similar. We would love your thoughts. What do you think? Harlequin or Catalina?

 

[texsize]

I am no expert.
But the only thing off looks to be the wing color.
Maybe a second generation hybrid??

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Very nice looking bird, regardless. I'm glad you rescued him. It must be so stressful to a bird to get bounced around from home to home and still be expected to have a good attitude toward people. I hope he's found his forever home with you.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

And also the red coloring of the feathers on the lore which is off for a B&G.
The horn color mixed in with the dark beak.
The green feathers on the shoulders.

I dont think that beak shape is a B&G either or even the shape of the top of the head. B&Gs have a rounder top of skull while I think other Macaw species the top of head is flatter.

As usual I did not answer your question! because I have no clue.
But Ozzie is a beauty.

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

I am no expert, but it looks like he has a lot of B&G in him. Perhaps a 2nd generation Harlequin hybrid? There are so many weird and wonderful combos out there (which I personally do not support—but that is another discussion), maybe he is the product of a harlequin and B&G? Is there such a thing as DNA testing to determine species of macaw?

He looks healthy and comfortable around your dogs. He is lucky to have found you to care for him!

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

I am no expert.
But the only thing off looks to be the wing color.
Maybe a second generation hybrid??

I agree with 2nd generation hybrid, but there are several more things off with a B&G. The nares are covered with yellow feathers while B&Gs nares are bare; the top beak is slightly horn colored while B&Gs are solid black; as you wrote, the wings are green at the top. His tail is also slightly green. I think he’s the offspring of a harlequin and a B&G. I wonder how big he is/how much he weighs. That would also be a clue.

 

[Aaralynn8075]

Thank you all!! Glad we are not the only ones stumped! Hahaha.

We have had him a little over a month now. I am sure that the dog photo might cause anxiety for some. He latched on to our 85lb golden shepherd puppy instantly! They are best friends. Ozzie says his name, "Griffin", and asks him to "come here" constantly! Even so - they are 100% ALWAYS supervised when together. The lab is a mobility service dog. Even though he is 120lbs, he couldn't care less about ANYTHING.

We don't have a ton of history on Ozzie except he was left with a wife during a divorce. She was scared of him and he was aggressive. He was at a rescue for a year and returned 3 times due to aggression. We have seen some aggression and bites, but are working through it with love and standing our ground. For example, he has a nasty habit of chasing people to bite their ankles/feet (and I mean bite with all his might). Now, I wear my slippers and I stand there when he comes after me or walk towards him. This has reduced the chasing about 75%!

For us, his cage agression is a non-issue. He is out most of the day so I clean and feed while he is out. We got him a wagon and he LOVES walks on warmer days. He follows the dogs EVERYWHERE, including outside on the deck. We are building him an aviary for the summer. He does "step up" but we use a stick most of the time because he has inflicted some nasty bites on our arms. (I am sure we missed the signals, but we are trying to learn. This is our first macaw).

 

[Aaralynn8075]

I am no expert, but it looks like he has a lot of B&G in him. Perhaps a 2nd generation Harlequin hybrid? There are so many weird and wonderful combos out there (which I personally do not support—but that is another discussion), maybe he is the product of a harlequin and B&G? Is there such a thing as DNA testing to determine species of macaw?

He looks healthy and comfortable around your dogs. He is lucky to have found you to care for him!

We were thinking of doing DNA to sex him. I was also curious if testing for breed exists?

 

[Aaralynn8075]

Very nice looking bird, regardless. I'm glad you rescued him. It must be so stressful to a bird to get bounced around from home to home and still be expected to have a good attitude toward people. I hope he's found his forever home with you.

He is 100% ours forever. If not because of my husband and I, because of our puppy. They fell in love!

 

[Aaralynn8075]

I agree with 2nd generation hybrid, but there are several more things off with a B&G. The nares are covered with yellow feathers while B&Gs nares are bare; the top beak is slightly horn colored while B&Gs are solid black; as you wrote, the wings are green at the top. His tail is also slightly green. I think he’s the offspring of a harlequin and a B&G. I wonder how big he is/how much he weighs. That would also be a clue.

He weighs 1.7lbs. Not exactly sure how long??

 

[Aaralynn8075]

Very nice looking bird, regardless. I'm glad you rescued him. It must be so stressful to a bird to get bounced around from home to home and still be expected to have a good attitude toward people. I hope he's found his forever home with you.

I agree!! We are thinking he was kind of just left in a cage for quite some time, due to fear. He can be aggressive but we are working on it. I definitely don't fault him when it appears he hasn't had much socialization. He nailed me a couple times with some pretty gnarly outcomes on my arms, but I still love him! We are learning every day how to trust each other more and more.

 

[Aaralynn8075]

And also the red coloring of the feathers on the lore which is off for a B&G.
The horn color mixed in with the dark beak.
The green feathers on the shoulders.

I dont think that beak shape is a B&G either or even the shape of the top of the head. B&Gs have a rounder top of skull while I think other Macaw species the top of head is flatter.

As usual I did not answer your question! because I have no clue.
But Ozzie is a beauty.

But a good laugh is better than an answer most days!!!!

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

Enjoy your beautiful Ozzie! I have been the parront to my B&G for 50 years. It is a lifelong commitment and one that I would happily do again. Birds bring such joy to our lives!

I grew up in a bird household. When my mother died at the age of 86, every single eulogy given mentioned her love for her birds. I hope that when I pass, I am recognized for my love of birds.

We are a very special group.

 

[Aaralynn8075]

Enjoy your beautiful Ozzie! I have been the parront to my B&G for 50 years. It is a lifelong commitment and one that I would happily do again. Birds bring such joy to our lives!

I grew up in a bird household. When my mother died at the age of 86, every single eulogy given mentioned her love for her birds. I hope that when I pass, I am recognized for my love of birds.

We are a very special group.

This is amazing and I love "parront" haha. We have had smaller parrots but this is our first Macaw. He our forever, for sure! I followed his story in the rescue for about 10months before deciding he was ours! I knew it was meant to be when he kissed my husband and fell in love with our dog!

 

[Rozalka]

Maybe a catablu macaw? (Catalina x B&G)

 

[kme3388]

Hi there, welcome

I just adopted a macaw about 2 months ago. I’m still learning.

Your macaw is beautiful. I’m sure he’ll start adjusting, and exploring in no time.

I do feel like mine is scared of most things. He is so cautious coming out of his cage. It takes him a few minutes. He hasn’t really started to explore anything. He’s glued to me, and screams if I set him down on the ground. If he can’t see me, and he’s out of his cage he will scream. I know for at least part of his life he was 100% cage bound.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. If you have any feedback from things you’ve learned that’s helped your macaw also feel free to reach out.

 

[Aaralynn8075]

Hi there, welcome

I just adopted a macaw about 2 months ago. I’m still learning.

Your macaw is beautiful. I’m sure he’ll start adjusting, and exploring in no time.

I do feel like mine is scared of most things. He is so cautious coming out of his cage. It takes him a few minutes. He hasn’t really started to explore anything. He’s glued to me, and screams if I set him down on the ground. If he can’t see me, and he’s out of his cage he will scream. I know for at least part of his life he was 100% cage bound.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. If you have any feedback from things you’ve learned that’s helped your macaw also feel free to reach out.

Awe! Congrats on your baby!!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

I love this thread. Thank you for finding us, and for sharing Ozzie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!