1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogbam Here. Macaw's are giants among birds, 3 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: reaching up to four feet that's over a meter from 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: beak to tail. These spectacularly colorful members of the parrot family, 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,319 Speaker 1: made up of seventeen distinct species, are originally from the 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: rainforest regions of Central and South America. They're intelligent, curious, 7 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: and talkative companions that have been domesticated for centuries before. 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: The article this episode is based on, has to Works. 9 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,319 Speaker 1: Spoke with Gregory rich DVM, an avian and exotic pet 10 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: veterinarian who has a twenty four year old blue and 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: gold macaw. He said macaws can make wonderful pets in 12 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: the right household. Like many other pet birds, macaws are 13 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: playful and seem to enjoy being trained to perform tricks 14 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: like waving hello or using a skateboard. In the wild, 15 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: macaw couples will live in flocks of ten to thirty birds, 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: all of them calling, squawking, and omitting the macaw scream 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: throughout the forest. The variety of sounds are used to 18 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: communicate within the flock or mark territorial claims. Individual birds 19 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: even create unique songs so their mates will be able 20 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: to identify them. Some macaw screams can be deafening when indoors, 21 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: so the macaw isn't well suited for people who like 22 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: peace and quiet at home. Although macaus don't have a 23 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: larynx like humans used to create speech, they do have 24 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: a syrinx. The syrinx is located at the bottom of 25 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: its trachea, and when air is passed over the syrinx 26 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: and through the throaten mouth, where that air can be 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: manipulated by the tongue, a macaw can mimic human words 28 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: and even whole sentences. And yes, there have been domesticated 29 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: macaws that learned to swear and that then taught those 30 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: swear words to other macaws. In September, a group of 31 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: macaus was removed from the Lincoln she Year Wildlife Park 32 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: in England for cussing at patrons. In addition to being 33 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: for bos, macaws are undeniably romantic, typically selecting a mate 34 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: for the rest of their life. This lifelong mate chosen 35 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: by a macaw is a breeding partner, but macaus will 36 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: also share their food and, much like a couple splitting 37 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: a meal at a restaurant. Macaus also enjoy mutual grooming 38 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: and often ritualize the task by creating specific and personalized 39 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: routines to follow. And when it comes time to lay eggs, 40 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: female macaws incubate the eggs while the males hunt for 41 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: food over a large area. At home, macau's require room 42 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: to roam, which translates into large cages with space to 43 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: spread their wings. Rich said. Some knowledgeable owners dedicate a 44 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: bird room with tile flooring with plenty of perch stands 45 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: or rope perches that can be suspended from the ceiling 46 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: for their macaus. The macau's diet in the wild is 47 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: varied and fresh. They focus on seeds, nuts, berries, fruits, 48 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: insects and stales, and sometimes clay soil to aid in digestion. 49 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: In the wild, macaws will travel long distances up to 50 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: fifteen miles or twenty four kilometers throughout Central and South 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: America's rainforests. To forage at home, these intelligent birds require 52 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: not only a varied diet, but the stimulation that comes 53 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: with seeking out food sources. Some macaw enthusiasts train their 54 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: birds to forage for food. They begin by adding several 55 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: small foraging bowls to the macaw's cage, so the bird 56 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: must move around to different areas to find food or treats. 57 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: Once this is mastered, a small piece of paper can 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: be placed over each bowl, which the macaw can push 59 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: away to uncover the food. This can progress to taping 60 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: the paper on the top of the bowls. The idea 61 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: is to make each stage of the foraging process a 62 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: little more demanding, both physically and mentally, and some people 63 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: who live with macaus is pets eventually turn them loose 64 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: from their cages to forage around their homes for food 65 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: puzzles under supervision. But let's talk beaks. A maccau's beak 66 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: is so strong that it can easily crush the hard, 67 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: thick shells of brazil nuts, a task that I personally 68 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: struggle with despite having opposable thumbs and the use of tools. 69 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: Macaw uses its large curved beak in conjunction with its long, 70 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: agile toes and tongue to position the food for optimal crushing. 71 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: It's thick, fleshy tongue contains a highoid bone structure that 72 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: changes the shape of the tongue, which makes them one 73 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: of the few types of birds to have intrinsic muscles, 74 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: like humans, the control tongue movement. The good news is 75 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: that maccause rarely use this powerful weapon on people, but 76 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: if they did, they could easily crush a person's bony knuckle. 77 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: For this reason, it's often ill advised to put the 78 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: bird on one's shoulder, as the close proximity from beak 79 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: to face could result in injury. The same goes for 80 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,479 Speaker 1: allowing a macaw to roam the house unsupervised. A Rich said, 81 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: when left out of the cage to roam in the house, 82 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: they can be very destructive. Well, like all birds, macaws 83 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: like to chew so Grandma's rocking chair you so dearly love, 84 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: maybe missing a leg. When you get home, the wires 85 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: to the modem maybe chewed through, or your desk papers 86 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: may be shredded. When macau's hatch from their eggs, they 87 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: have black eyes. As they reach about five months of age, 88 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: their eyes will begin to lighten in color and this 89 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: process will continue for up to two years. Ultimately, an 90 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 1: adult macaw has a vivid yellow eye color with charcoal pupils. 91 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: This color usually sticks throughout the macause fifty to seventy 92 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: year lifespan, although there are accounts of variations. Because macause 93 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: are more active during daylight hours, they have a flat 94 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: and shallow eye construction to allow for maximum light input. 95 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: The eyes are positioned on the side side of the head, 96 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: which allows macaus to see with each eye independently and 97 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: have a three hundred and sixty degree view of the 98 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: world around them. And while most birds cannot move their 99 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: eyes within their eye sockets, macaws can, which only adds 100 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: to their ability to see their environment without turning their heads. 101 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: Like most people who share their home with a companion macaw, 102 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: dr Rich has seen his macaw use facial and body language, 103 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: as well as vocalizations to communicate emotional moods. He explained 104 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: she delights visitors with a loud hello and will blush 105 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: when she is held by someone she has a fondness 106 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: for macause. With the exception of hyacinthe, macause can blush 107 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: their cheeks a pink red hue, just like humans. This 108 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: involuntary reaction is caused by increased blood flow to the 109 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: veins and capillaries near the surface of their cheeks and 110 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: can be seen because of the absence of feathers on 111 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: the bird's cheek areas. Macaws also pluff various areas of 112 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: their feathers to communicate social contexts. Today's episode is based 113 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: on the article Yes macaws can talk and say bad 114 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: words on how stuff Works dot Com, written by Laurie L. D. 115 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: The brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in 116 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and is produced 117 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit 118 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 119 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.