Hahns Macaw
Hahns Mini-Macaw
The Hahns
mini Macaw, ara nobilis nobilis, is about 30cm (12
inches) when adult size. Their weight is between 120 and 155 grams.
The Hahns is predominantly green, more yellowish below,
with the crown
and forehead blue. The
carpal edge, bend of the wing and greater under wing
coverts are scarlet; underside of tail and flight feathers are
yellowish.
The naked facial skin is white and the iris is brownish
red.
The beak is dark grey and almost black at the tip. This is
the smallest
of the small macaws, smaller than even some species of conures. (Please
note,
some of the earlier publications in print misname this little beauty.)
Immature birds
will look the same except babies will
not
have much scarlet on the wing edge.
You
will see some read underneath if you lift up the wing.
They will also have less blue on the head.
HABITAT
The
Hahns, has a wide range north of the Amazon in eastern Venezuela,
Guyana, Suriname, northeastern Brazil, possibly also French Guiana. It prefers partially open
habitats, including sparse caatinga woodland and marshes.
NOISE
This
little guy usually is not very noisy except, of course, if he has
learned to be spoiled. Their voice is not high pitched and if taught to
talk will not use their regular voice as much.
SOCIAL HABITS
This adorable
little creature has an almost irresistible little face.
They are very playful and will love to play and snuggle. They will learn tricks and
will easily be taught to lay on it’s back in your arms. The hahns can be an OK
talker probably learning a dozen or more words, but quick to learn. They can be a bit stubborn
when wanting their own way, but not in a mean way. They are also very
inquisitive.
CAGES
Hahns macaws need a cage about 24" x
20". A smaller size can be used (maybe 20" x 18"), but not a great
choice since they are very playful, and
these silly little birds to need
lots of room to hang fun toys, and swings - that they love
to hang and play on. And
don’t forget their little cuddle bed, something that they
will love to crawl in, play in and sleep in. They are not really hard
on a cage, but a good quality powder-coated cage would be excellent. Suitable bar spacing would
be ½ inch to 3/4 inch.
DIET INFORMATION
The
best diet for any parrot such as the hahns would be pellets and
lots of fresh
fruits and vegetables. They
are not very fussy eaters and are fond of sunflower seeds and peanuts,
but be sure not to give them but 1 or 2 a day maybe just as a good bird
reward. With a good
pellet diet, additional vitamins are not necessary except maybe
spirulina. Spirulina
will enhance the color on your Hahns, such as the blue read and blue,
plus it is very healthy. There
are a lot of mixes on the market today which will
broadened a vegetable and fruit diet.
Seed should be fed only in small portions by hand, maybe
when doing trick training or “good-bird” offerings. There are also excellent
“good food” treats available through a good bird
store. A
must with any parrot is a water bottle system.
This will provide fresh, clean water to your bird at all
times, even when you aren’t home for a couple of days.
MATURING
They will
usually reach maturity between 2 and 3 years of age.
BREEDING
Be
sure that you have unrelated birds if you decide to breed. They can only be sexed
either by blood DNA sexing or surgically by a qualified vet. A nest box that is about 12"
x 12" x 10" high is a good size.
An ABS plastic nest box should be considered since it is
dark on the inside and almost indestructible, and much safer. Hahns to my knowledge are
never aggressive in a breeding situation..
A female will lay 3-4 eggs about 2 days apart, and quite
commonly will hatch almost all of them.
They generally will make good parents and will easily
raise their babies to 2-3 weeks at which time, they should be pulled
for handfeeding. Be
sure to pull babies about the time they open their eyes since if they
are allowed to stay in the next longer, they can be a bit scared of
people. Eggs are
usually incubated for 25 days.
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