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MEET NOAH
Noah is a female Blue & Gold Macaw (Ara Ararauna).
According to Parrots, A Guide to Parrots of the World, © 1998 by Juniper and Parr published by Yale University Press, the Blue & Gold Macaw is listed by the IUCN as Cites II (endangered). In other countries this species is called the Blue & Yellow Macaw, the Blue Macaw or the Yellow-breasted Macaw. This bird has a wide distribution throughout Central and South America. Ranges include Eastern Panama to the tropical lowlands of South America, Southeast Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay on in to Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. They are also common in coastal Suriname and western Guyana, but declining in French Guyana due to poaching and hunting. The original Trinidad population was extirpated from the island in the late 1960’s. Through the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens working in conjunction with the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, Trinidad, there is a renewed effort to re-establish this macaw on the island once again with limited success to date. These macaws are commonly bred in captivity where they are abundant via breeders, pet retailers and adoption.
In the wild, these macaws are found in several types of forest – from Amazonian Peru, to lowland humid forests, gallery forests, and savannah with scattered trees and palms, especially near water areas. A favorite food is the Mauritia palm, and these birds will convene on the ground to eat their fill near the fallen fruit. They’ll also eat other fruits, nuts, leaf buds, and seeds.
These birds are considered gregarious and social, and are found in pairs, families or flocks consisting of several dozen individuals. They’ll establish communal roosting sites in trees, and make their nests in high holes of dead palms. Their breeding cycle varies from November through February depending upon the country of location, with the clutch generally consisting of two eggs.
Noah, TGF’s Bird of the Month, is an outgoing, social and very interactive B&G – and we kept her name since she uses it frequently. The highly social nature of Blue & Gold macaws is an important factor when considering sharing your home and life with a very long lived, large bird. Noah was hatched nearly 21 years ago, and has a long history of feather destructive behavior. She has shared her life with a female Blue Fronted Amazon named Kelly.
Both birds came to TGF in October 2007, originally for long term foster care as their owners adjusted to medical issues, retired life and some travel. Noah and Kelly are both comfortable with and seem to enjoy interacting with humans. Knowing how much they crave human company, their former caregivers made the decision that both birds should be placed into our Adoption Program. We are all delighted because Noah and Kelly each bring so much joy to the humans around them. Noah may be naked, but she’s such a charmer - she’ll win you over in a heart beat. She greets TGF Aviary staff with a “Hi Noah” every morning, and Patti Christie swears that her husband paid Noah to tell Patti, “Night night…good bye” when she’s in her office working late. Talk about working for nuts!
If you’ve considered providing a home for a macaw, we welcome you to come meet Noah and the other wonderful birds at The Gabriel Foundation. Visit our Adoption page to learn more. If you would like to sponsor Noah, or any of the fabulous feathered friends at TGF, many are in need of a guardian angel. Click here to learn more about TGF’s Sponsorship Program.
TGF DOES NOT BREED BIRDS, regardless of the species (nor will we place adoptive birds in breeding situations). We make every effort to provide a living environment that does not encourage breeding behaviors. Should eggs be laid, every effort is made to alter the environment and remove the egg(s) as soon as possible but discourage repeated laying. Eggs are never allowed to mature to hatch. Very few birds are housed male with female and careful attention is paid to these birds. Should breeding behaviors be observed, careful assessment of the situation is undertaken and every action is implemented to change this behavior.
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