What kind of macaw is this?

[MomtoPercy]

I saw these birds at the local petshop I reported to the SPCA. All the (reeking of sweat) shop assistant could tell me is that they are macaw hens. They are dark green with red abouve the beak and turquoise wings.

Are they maybe great green macaws? They are about 25cm high (10"). They have pink/peachy coloured feet.

I keep thinking about these two birds because they appear so miserable in that tiny dirty cage

Edit : Forgot to add that they have dark peach coloured feathers low down on the body, between the legs.

 

[KimKim]

They look like severe macaws to me. I hate it when I see bad situations, makes me so sad.

 

[MikeyTN]

They look like the Illiger's Mini Macaws!

 

[MomtoPercy]

They look like the Illiger's Mini Macaws!

I googled this and you are right! The birds I saw are exactly the same as I see online.

 

[MikeyTN]

There's a few members on here with Illigers Macaws on here....I think Noblemacaw have one?

 

[noblemacaw]

That picture looks like an Illiger's macaw to me and also by your description. The "peach" colored feathers lower on the abdomen should be RED. They also should have some bright red on their backs. Also the naked patches on a healthy Illiger's macaw should have a yellow tinge to it. Makes them look like they have jaundice. My outdoor picture (second picture I included) of Diego shows the yellow tinge.

Here is a picture of Diego my Illiger's macaw with healthy feathering.

Here is a picture of Diego out in the sunlight.

I miss my Diego every day. Unfortunatly Diego died from a stroke in June 2011. I took this loss very hard and to this day I cannot even look at another Illiger's without feeling the pain. I thought about getting another Illiger's but I can't bring myself to do so. Illiger macaws are wonderful companions. I hope something can be done for these parrots. The Illiger's is an endangered parrot and is listed as such.

 

[MikeyTN]

Oh yea, it just hit me,,,,we were discussing about a local breeder that bred those awhile back.....duh!

 

[MomtoPercy]

So sorry, Noblemacaw!

I'm trying to 'crunch the numbers' to see if I can buy at least one and get her out of there. They are asking A LOT for them and then the cost of a cage, etc must be incurred too. I've already committed to a new cage for my Percy so I must be careful with my expenditures. I hope and pray I can scrape enough together to adopt at least one of those girls.

 

[leschornmom]

The Illiger's is an endangered parrot and is listed as such.

I am truly sorry for your loss!

I do have a question though... If it is endangered how can they be kept as pets? Aren't there laws about that?

 

[MomtoPercy]

The Illiger's is an endangered parrot and is listed as such.

I am truly sorry for your loss!

I do have a question though... If it is endangered how can they be kept as pets? Aren't there laws about that?

I am sure there ARE laws but these petshop owners are utter beasts and probably don't give a hoot.
To make matters worse, the SPCA inspector phoned me back this morning to advice they have been but that despite from giving the petshop a warning about keeping the cages clean, adding toys and making sure the water is clean, they can't do much more because the petshop is "operating *just inside* what the law demands". He also said that even though *I* felt the cages were over crowded, "the law" demands just that there should be enough perch space!!! Can you believe it??? I am so upset! This means that even though I reported them NOTHING will change for these poor birds And what's more - I was thinking this morning that people buying some of the birds on impulse will think that these conditions are the norm and the poor birds will carry on living like that.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Oh No!!! You could try a different route. Tell the owners you would like to volunteer with the birds .Maybe change the situation. Become friends ,show them the plus side to this [at least you could feel like something better came out of this ]

 

[MomtoPercy]

Oh No!!! You could try a different route. Tell the owners you would like to volunteer with the birds .Maybe change the situation. Become friends ,show them the plus side to this [at least you could feel like something better came out of this ]

I did offer to make toys for the birds (free of charge) but my offer was rejected. They don't trust that my intentions are pure because they themselves are such awful people.

I haven't given up. I contacted the local newspaper to hear if they would do a story on the petshops in town. I visited another petshop today and the difference was like night and day. Happy, clean animals, good food, lots of toys and sunlight. If one petshop can do it, why not all?

 

[Birdman666]

Before getting an Illger's I would advise you to read up on diet related problems with them... these are diet sensitive birds.

Great Green Macaws essentially look like military macaws on steroids... Think of a military macaw that's pretty close to the size of a greenwing. And then add the fact that they are VERY beaky birds. Almost GW sized, almost Scarlett beaky. Not for the squeamish or inexperienced! (and yes, I've worked with four of them. One of those four was VERY sweet. The other three? Not so much...)

 

[Birdman666]

The Illiger's is an endangered parrot and is listed as such.

I am truly sorry for your loss!

I do have a question though... If it is endangered how can they be kept as pets? Aren't there laws about that?

They have to be captive bred, and cannot be imported legally. These are NOT permit only birds.

The biggest problem with Illger's in captivity is if they aren't fed properly, and have diet related disorders. This is another species I wish had never been introduced to the pet trade. People tend to kill them.

 

[leschornmom]

I hate that their cage is too small! I have the same fear you do about someone else thinking the cage size is acceptable... My babies came to me several weeks ago and the vet doesn't think they will EVER be able to fully open their wings because of how long the were locked in a cage with no room to spread them! It just makes me so sad!

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Where is this pet store? Name?

 

[MomtoPercy]

Wannabeaparrot - I'm in South Africa and the shop is in the town where I live.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

The Illiger's is an endangered parrot and is listed as such.

I am truly sorry for your loss!

I do have a question though... If it is endangered how can they be kept as pets? Aren't there laws about that?

I am sure there ARE laws but these petshop owners are utter beasts and probably don't give a hoot.
To make matters worse, the SPCA inspector phoned me back this morning to advice they have been but that despite from giving the petshop a warning about keeping the cages clean, adding toys and making sure the water is clean, they can't do much more because the petshop is "operating *just inside* what the law demands". He also said that even though *I* felt the cages were over crowded, "the law" demands just that there should be enough perch space!!! Can you believe it??? I am so upset! This means that even though I reported them NOTHING will change for these poor birds And what's more - I was thinking this morning that people buying some of the birds on impulse will think that these conditions are the norm and the poor birds will carry on living like that.

Can you write a review up of them on Yelp, or somewhere. There are lots of people that read those things, and someone may help get the birds out of those circumstances, or put pressure on the SPCA.

ETA: I see you're in South Africa, and not sure if there are such review sites like Yelp there. You may want to check it out, or put the word out somewhere else.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Can you write a review up of them on Yelp, or somewhere. There are lots of people that read those things, and someone may help get the birds out of those circumstances, or put pressure on the SPCA.

ETA: I see you're in South Africa, and not sure if there are such review sites like Yelp there. You may want to check it out, or put the word out somewhere else.

Oh, good idea! We don't do Yelp here but we do have some similar websites that carry significant influence. I'm going to do it! Thanks for the idea.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

What about Reddit? Post a bunch of photos of the deplorable conditions and include the phone number, and address, as well as yiur loc SPCA's email. You may get the world involved, sending letters and calling them to change the situation.

That's a disgusting cage D: it looks more like a prison! Please remember that buying one of the birds will be rewarding the store.