RANGE | This macaw is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical Central and South America, extending from south-eastern Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil. Their habitat is fragmented and they suffered local extinctions because of habitat destruction or capture for the parrot trade so the bird is mostly confined to tiny populations scattered throughout its original range.

FUN FACTS | Their coloration provides camouflage in the jungle, blending with the leaves, flowers and fruit. Their powerful beak enables them to break into unripe fruit and shells of nuts. When they eat, they drop a significant portion of their food. This food falls to the ground, giving access to foods the ground dwellers would not have otherwise, and the uneaten pieces of nuts and seeds will be deposited in the soil to grow into new plants.Their feet are zygodactyl, two toes in front and two in back, to provide them with greater grip for climbing and holding onto their food.

Parrots have the ability to mimic the sounds that they hear, often repeating words and phrases with accurate timing which gives the misleading impression that they are actually having a conversation. In addition to imitating human voices, they can repeat sounds. In a home, they will imitate door bells, dripping sinks and other common sounds. In the wild, they can imitate the sound of other animals and even construction equipment.

Rubio was purchased as a pet, but the people were unprepared for the destruction, noise, or surprisingly painful bird bites that can come with owning a Macaw. He was surrendered to a veterinarian when they could not find him any other home. One of our team was pet-sitting for that vet, saw Rubio living in a parrot cage on the back porch, and knew we could give him a bigger, better life. The vet was so happy to see Rubio get a new home.

Rubio loves new toys. As a parrot, he needs constant enrichment, so we are always rotating his toys and new perches, hanging them from streamers, ropes, or plastic chains. He loves new rope ladders and toys with items attached for him to chew and destroy, a parrot’s favorite activity. The only toy that is never taken out of his enclosure is his Wubba by Kong. He actually has several because he always has one with him and he is a very messy bird! He also loves music, including making his own with children’s music toys and dancing along!

The funny thing is, his favorite toys are actually the tools that we use, especially the hand broom and scoop. He likes to take them, talk to them, twirl them and then laugh about it!