WEBVTT - How Do Macaws Work? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:04.320 Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:11.680 Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogbam Here. Macaw's are giants among birds, 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.600 reaching up to four feet that's over a meter from 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:19.480 beak to tail. These spectacularly colorful members of the parrot family, 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:23.319 made up of seventeen distinct species, are originally from the 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:28.240 rainforest regions of Central and South America. They're intelligent, curious, 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:33.280 and talkative companions that have been domesticated for centuries before. 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:35.760 The article this episode is based on, has to Works. 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.319 Spoke with Gregory rich DVM, an avian and exotic pet 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.320 veterinarian who has a twenty four year old blue and 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:46.920 gold macaw. He said macaws can make wonderful pets in 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:50.440 the right household. Like many other pet birds, macaws are 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:53.680 playful and seem to enjoy being trained to perform tricks 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:58.320 like waving hello or using a skateboard. In the wild, 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:01.760 macaw couples will live in flocks of ten to thirty birds, 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:05.679 all of them calling, squawking, and omitting the macaw scream 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:09.200 throughout the forest. The variety of sounds are used to 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:13.959 communicate within the flock or mark territorial claims. Individual birds 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:16.800 even create unique songs so their mates will be able 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:21.800 to identify them. Some macaw screams can be deafening when indoors, 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.520 so the macaw isn't well suited for people who like 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:28.840 peace and quiet at home. Although macaus don't have a 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:32.280 larynx like humans used to create speech, they do have 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.600 a syrinx. The syrinx is located at the bottom of 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.119 its trachea, and when air is passed over the syrinx 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.720 and through the throaten mouth, where that air can be 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:45.320 manipulated by the tongue, a macaw can mimic human words 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:49.600 and even whole sentences. And yes, there have been domesticated 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:53.320 macaws that learned to swear and that then taught those 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:58.040 swear words to other macaws. In September, a group of 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.880 macaus was removed from the Lincoln she Year Wildlife Park 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:05.920 in England for cussing at patrons. In addition to being 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:10.360 for bos, macaws are undeniably romantic, typically selecting a mate 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.760 for the rest of their life. This lifelong mate chosen 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:16.600 by a macaw is a breeding partner, but macaus will 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.520 also share their food and, much like a couple splitting 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:24.040 a meal at a restaurant. Macaus also enjoy mutual grooming 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:28.400 and often ritualize the task by creating specific and personalized 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.960 routines to follow. And when it comes time to lay eggs, 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:35.280 female macaws incubate the eggs while the males hunt for 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:40.000 food over a large area. At home, macau's require room 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:43.760 to roam, which translates into large cages with space to 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:48.360 spread their wings. Rich said. Some knowledgeable owners dedicate a 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.480 bird room with tile flooring with plenty of perch stands 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.080 or rope perches that can be suspended from the ceiling 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:58.560 for their macaus. The macau's diet in the wild is 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:02.640 varied and fresh. They focus on seeds, nuts, berries, fruits, 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:07.320 insects and stales, and sometimes clay soil to aid in digestion. 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:11.160 In the wild, macaws will travel long distances up to 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.320 fifteen miles or twenty four kilometers throughout Central and South 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:19.600 America's rainforests. To forage at home, these intelligent birds require 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.919 not only a varied diet, but the stimulation that comes 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:27.799 with seeking out food sources. Some macaw enthusiasts train their 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:31.960 birds to forage for food. They begin by adding several 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.480 small foraging bowls to the macaw's cage, so the bird 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:39.360 must move around to different areas to find food or treats. 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:42.720 Once this is mastered, a small piece of paper can 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:45.600 be placed over each bowl, which the macaw can push 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:49.560 away to uncover the food. This can progress to taping 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.320 the paper on the top of the bowls. The idea 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:54.960 is to make each stage of the foraging process a 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.960 little more demanding, both physically and mentally, and some people 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:01.800 who live with macaus is pets eventually turn them loose 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:04.720 from their cages to forage around their homes for food 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:10.920 puzzles under supervision. But let's talk beaks. A maccau's beak 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:13.800 is so strong that it can easily crush the hard, 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:17.360 thick shells of brazil nuts, a task that I personally 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.719 struggle with despite having opposable thumbs and the use of tools. 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:25.360 Macaw uses its large curved beak in conjunction with its long, 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:29.600 agile toes and tongue to position the food for optimal crushing. 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:33.919 It's thick, fleshy tongue contains a highoid bone structure that 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.839 changes the shape of the tongue, which makes them one 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.880 of the few types of birds to have intrinsic muscles, 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:44.760 like humans, the control tongue movement. The good news is 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:48.599 that maccause rarely use this powerful weapon on people, but 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.800 if they did, they could easily crush a person's bony knuckle. 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:55.320 For this reason, it's often ill advised to put the 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.640 bird on one's shoulder, as the close proximity from beak 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.400 to face could result in injury. The same goes for 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:06.479 allowing a macaw to roam the house unsupervised. A Rich said, 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.000 when left out of the cage to roam in the house, 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.560 they can be very destructive. Well, like all birds, macaws 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.520 like to chew so Grandma's rocking chair you so dearly love, 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:19.719 maybe missing a leg. When you get home, the wires 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.520 to the modem maybe chewed through, or your desk papers 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:27.600 may be shredded. When macau's hatch from their eggs, they 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.960 have black eyes. As they reach about five months of age, 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.400 their eyes will begin to lighten in color and this 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:37.480 process will continue for up to two years. Ultimately, an 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:41.359 adult macaw has a vivid yellow eye color with charcoal pupils. 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.440 This color usually sticks throughout the macause fifty to seventy 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:51.000 year lifespan, although there are accounts of variations. Because macause 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.920 are more active during daylight hours, they have a flat 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:57.960 and shallow eye construction to allow for maximum light input. 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:00.640 The eyes are positioned on the side side of the head, 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:04.560 which allows macaus to see with each eye independently and 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.600 have a three hundred and sixty degree view of the 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:10.640 world around them. And while most birds cannot move their 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:14.240 eyes within their eye sockets, macaws can, which only adds 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.520 to their ability to see their environment without turning their heads. 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.080 Like most people who share their home with a companion macaw, 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.200 dr Rich has seen his macaw use facial and body language, 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:30.839 as well as vocalizations to communicate emotional moods. He explained 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:34.400 she delights visitors with a loud hello and will blush 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:36.480 when she is held by someone she has a fondness 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:41.640 for macause. With the exception of hyacinthe, macause can blush 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:45.520 their cheeks a pink red hue, just like humans. This 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:48.960 involuntary reaction is caused by increased blood flow to the 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:51.880 veins and capillaries near the surface of their cheeks and 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.279 can be seen because of the absence of feathers on 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:58.480 the bird's cheek areas. Macaws also pluff various areas of 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:07.800 their feathers to communicate social contexts. Today's episode is based 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.760 on the article Yes macaws can talk and say bad 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.800 words on how stuff Works dot Com, written by Laurie L. D. 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.520 The brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.000 partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and is produced 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:22.560 by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.160 the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:26.520 listen to your favorite shows.