Australian Birdkeeper – June-July 2018

PARENT REARING
Fledging is at about 12 weeks,
but often the chicks return
to the nest box during the
day and sleep in the box with
their parents for another 2–3
weeks thereafter. We’ve found
them to be a little erratic after
leaving the nest box while
learning to fl y, but not nearly
as bad as some other species.
After about four weeks they
are quite steady on the wing,
while perching, and spend a
lot of time investigating their
environment. During this time,
they are also learning how
to feed themselves and the
social side of family life, which
includes preening and cleaning. As with most birds, the odd one
tends to take a liking to over-preening and chewing their feathers,
so it’s important to keep branches and wood in the aviary,

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especially at this time, to ensure no bad habits are initiated.

Food is a necessity for life and it is this that assists the chicks in

calming to our human presence. Unlike many other species, they

soon learn that our presence in the mornings means food and it’s

not very long at all before they are down at the feed station with

their parents waiting for food. While feeding, we talk to the birds

as well, and this helps with the process of education to the extent

that they often talk back in their own way, while dilating their

eyes as the parents do.

It’s probably best to remove the chicks from their parents

at about eight weeks, as they should be weaned and capable

of caring for themselves by then, and mum and dad will need

some time to themselves to recuperate and rebuild their bond in

readiness for the next breeding season.

CONCLUSION

While there are still not many Illiger’s Macaws readily available,

and they are usually not genuine unrelated pairs, they are a

species that we feel demands more attention from the dedicated

aviculturist. They are not loud, so you should be able to keep

them in suburbia. They are not annoying because they don’t get

‘in your face’, and they are certainly not boring.

So, we hear you ask, why intriguing? Well we really can’t put our

fi nger on it; there is just

something about them

that is endearing, cute

and timid (but in an

extroverted way).

We just like them. To

us, they are without

a doubt the ultimate

mini macaw.

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A Complete Pet

Owner’s Manual

Available from ABK http://www.birdkeeper.com.au or
Email [email protected] or Phone 07 5568 0011

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Glenys Matthews

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