🐾 Land🐦 FlyingCare difficulty: AdvancedLegal complexity: Medium
Blue-and-gold macaw
Ara ararauna · also called Blue-and-yellow macaw, Blue and gold macaw
One of the largest and most popular companion macaws, the blue-and-gold is a brilliantly colored, intelligent, and highly social parrot that demands extensive space, enrichment, and decades-long commitment. It is loud, powerful, and not suited to apartments or first-time bird owners.
Educational only. KinStation content is reviewed by licensed veterinarians but cannot replace an in-person exam. Always consult a licensed veterinarian or board-certified specialist for diagnosis, treatment, or any decision affecting your pet's health.
🩺 Need expert help with your blue-and-gold macaw?
Connect with a specialist near you or ask a licensed vet — never substitute online guidance for hands-on care in an emergency.
Quick facts
| Size | Large parrot: 76-86 cm (30-34 in) total length including tail, wingspan up to 110 cm, weight 900-1300 g. |
| Lifespan | 30–60 years |
| Social needs | pair |
| Native region | Tropical South America (and far southern Central America), across the Amazon Basin from Panama and Colombia to Brazil, B |
| Origin | New World |
| Climate | 🌴 Tropical |
| Family | Psittacidae |
| Genus | Ara |
Part of the Macaws
Macaws are the largest of the New World parrots, prized for their vivid plumage, intelligence, and strong pair bonds. They are long-lived, loud, and demanding companions best suited to dedicated, experienced keepers with ample space.
Habitat & space requirements
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Habitat & enclosure
Requires a very large, robust cage: minimum interior dimensions around 90 x 120 x 150 cm (36 x 48 x 60 in), with bar spacing of 2.5-3.8 cm (1-1.5 in) and a play-top or separate stand for out-of-cage time. Stainless steel or powder-coated wrought iron is essential because the beak can destroy lesser cages. Birds need several hours daily outside the cage in a bird-proofed space, plus a dedicated play gym. Maintain ambient temperatures of roughly 18-29 C (65-85 F); avoid drafts, kitchen fumes (PTFE/Teflon is rapidly lethal to birds), and cigarette smoke. Provide full-spectrum lighting on a 10-12 hour cycle if natural sunlight is limited, and a quiet, dark area for 10-12 hours of sleep.
Substrate
Cage trays are typically lined with plain newspaper, paper towel, or unprinted paper that is changed daily for hygiene and droppings monitoring. Avoid loose substrates like corncob or walnut shell bedding, which can harbor mold/bacteria and pose ingestion and aspergillosis risks.
Equipment & setup
Heavy-duty stainless or powder-coated cage with secure locks (macaws learn to open simple latches), multiple perches of varying natural-wood diameters, stainless steel food/water bowls, a foraging-friendly feeding setup, abundant destructible and foraging toys (rotated regularly), a play stand or gym, full-spectrum lighting, and a cage cover or dark sleep room. A misting bottle or access to bathing/showering supports plumage health.
Diet
Base diet should be a high-quality formulated pellet (50-70% of intake) supplemented with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, leafy greens, and limited fruit. Offer healthy nuts (a few walnuts, almonds, or Brazil nuts) and macadamias as treats and foraging items, plus sprouted seeds and legumes. Avoid all-seed diets, which cause obesity, fatty liver disease, and vitamin A/calcium deficiencies. Never feed avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, or high-salt/sugar foods. Fresh water must be available and changed at least daily.
Behavior & temperament
Highly intelligent, affectionate, and capable of strong bonds with their people; many learn words and tricks. They are flock animals and need substantial daily interaction, foraging, and enrichment or they develop screaming, aggression, and feather-destructive behavior. They are naturally loud, with piercing contact calls especially at dawn and dusk, making them a poor fit for shared walls. The large, powerful beak can deliver serious bites; consistent positive-reinforcement training and respect for body language are important. Can be kept singly with abundant human attention or, ideally, in compatible pairs.
Health
Common issues include obesity and fatty liver disease from poor diet, vitamin A deficiency, feather-destructive/self-mutilation behavior tied to stress or boredom, proventricular dilatation disease (PDD/bornavirus), psittacosis (chlamydiosis, zoonotic), aspergillosis, and beak/feather problems. Annual avian-vet exams with baseline bloodwork are recommended. Provide nail and occasional beak maintenance via natural wear (chew toys, perches of varied diameter). Quarantine new birds.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Toy budget is significant: macaws shred wood, leather, and rope quickly, so build DIY foraging toys from untreated wood, paper, and food-safe materials to control cost. Teach step-up and stationing early with positive reinforcement. Provide noise outlets and structure so screaming does not become a learned attention behavior. Rotate toys and forage to prevent boredom. Source captive-bred, closed-banded birds from reputable breeders or rescues; many macaws are rehomed because owners underestimate the noise and 30-60 year commitment.