Judy Leach's Parrots Macaw Pictures and Descriptions
(If you entered the site on this page, click Home Page on the menu at the bottom of the page to get the full benefit of this site.)
The Military Macaw is the smallest of the large macaws, acquiring a total length of about 28 inches. There are three subspecies of the Military Macaw that all look very much the same. The most commonly seen originated from Venezuela, Columbia, and Peru. These are the smallest of the three. The Mexican subspecies has the same coloring, but is noticeably larger. The Bolivian Military Macaw is also larger, but the throat is more red-brown, the feathers at the ear region are reddish at the base, and the blue on the primaries and at the tip of the tail is more intense. These are much less common than the others. Only about 5% of the Military Macaws imported into the United States were of the Bolivian subspecies. Aside from the difference in size, it would be difficult for the average person to differentiate between the three subspecies.
In my experience raising the Military Macaws, I have found them to be very easy-going and affectionate. As with all parrots, it is important to socialize them as babies, but the Militarys Macaws seems to accept new homes and acclimate more readily that some of the others. It is truly a shame that the lack of the brilliant colors of some of the other large macaws has lessened their popularity as pets. Although the Military Macaw is primarily green, pictures can seldom do justice to the color variance and copper tones in the feathers. Because of this, they are usually much less expensive than other species of macaws, but their affectionate, outgoing, and inquisitive personality and their excellent ability to talk, makes them more than worth their price. The Military Macaw is an excellent choice for someone that wants a large macaw, but can't afford the prices that most of the others demand.
all look very much the same. The most commonly seen originated from Venezuela, Columbia, and Peru. These are the smallest of the three. The Mexican subspecies has the same coloring, but is noticeably larger. The Bolivian Military Macaw is also larger, but the throat is more red-brown, the feathers at the ear region are reddish at the base, and the blue on the primaries and at the tip of the tail is more intense. These are much less common than the others. Only about 5% of the Military Macaws imported into the United States were of the Bolivian subspecies. Aside from the difference in size, it would be difficult for the average person to differentiate between the three subspecies.