Distinguishing characteristics between macaws and other parrots
In a nutshell, all macaws are parrots, but not all parrots are macaws.
Parrots and macaws are not different birds, only that macaws are parrots, just like Cockatoos, Lories, African greys, Amazons, Cockatiels, Caiques, Quakers, Poicephalus, Conures, Budgies, Parakeets (IRNs), Eclectus and many more.
Macaws are often longtailed, colorful (new world) parrots native to the Caribbean, North, South, and Central America, with several species popular in aviculture, while the term parrot generally refers to a variety of colorful birds with hard beaks, rolling tongues, and four toe claws, which they use as hands.
As Jennifer Black (Vet Assistant, Animal Care Hospital) explains in this quora answer, macaw is a specific sub-species group of parrot with six genus included. There are sixteen individual species, if you include possibly extinct ones.
Jeniffer continues to say, parrots are birds of roughly 393 species (macaws included) in 92 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Notably, macaws are among the few large parrot species, with bigger bodies, beaks, and longer tails, with the Hyacinth macaw being the biggest of any flying parrot.
Below is a brief table of parrots prevalent parrots in the hobby and a second one of macaws species you are likely to see in aviculture.
Please note macaws appear as a type of parrot, but with different species.
| Parrot | Species | |
|---|---|---|
| African Grey | Congo Grey, Timneh Grey | |
| Conures | Green Cheek, Jenday, Nanday, Sun, Queen of Bavaria, Patagonian, White-Eyed Conure | |
| Parakeet | Budgie, Monk, Rose-Ringed, Scarlet-Chested, Plain, Plain, Barred, Green, Eastern, Mitred, Princess, Western Rosella, Dusky-Headed, Pale-headed Parakeets | |
| Macaws | Hyacinth, Military, Scarlet, Blue-Yellow, Red-Green, Spix’s, Red-Shouldered, Great-Green, Lear’s, Blue-winged, Blue-Throated, Red-Bellied, Martinique, Golden Collared, Glaucos, Chestnut-Fronted, Red-Bellied, Hahn’s, Illiger’s, Severe, Yellow-collared, Severe macaws | |
| Cockatoos | Cockatiels, White, Galah, Cacatua, Sulphur-chested, Major Mitchell’s, Glossy-Black, Carnaby’s Baudin’s Cockatoo | |
| Eclectus | Red-Sided, Grand, Solomon-Island, Vosmaeri | |
| Amazon | Turquoise Fronted, Yellow-Headed, Orange Winged, Yellow-Crowned, Naped, Southern-Mealy, Red-Crowned, Lilac-Crowned, Cuban Amazons |
Are Parrots also Called Macaws
No, parrots are not also called macaws🤦♀️🤦♂️!
As we’ve seen above, macaws are parrots, and an untrained eye or a person with not much experience with parrots would be excused for referring to a macaw as a parrot without being specific…
…, but the two terms cannot be used as substitutes because macaw is species-specific and parrot pretty general.
Yes, a macaw is a parrot, but because there as so many other types, you cannot call all parrots macaws.
Is A Macaw in The Parrot Family
Yes, a macaw is a member of the parrot family (Psittaciformes) that includes another 392 species (or there about) divided into three super-families.
Macaws fall in the true parrot super-family, with the others being cockatoos and New-Zealand parrots.
As we noted before, macaws are large, colorful, have long tails, and are more intelligent than most other parrots, but other than that, they are pretty much like any other parrot.
Is A Macaw A Parrot or Parakeet
No, macaws are not parakeets, neither are they lorikeets.
Macaws have larger bodies than most parakeets, and although they have equally long tails, they don’t fan out (tapering) as keets tails do.
Moreover, all parakeets are either small or mid-sized parrots, while macaws are sizable apart from mini-macaws, including the severe, Illiger’s, and Hahn’s macaws that are medium-sized.
Nonetheless, the term parakeet is used in the USA to refer to a tiny bird, common in aviculture that in the UK (and many places around the world) is called a budgie or budgerigar.
In Australia, the word parakeet can be used interchangeably to refer to the Australian (Grass) parakeet or any one of small, mid-sized seed-eating birds with a slender build and tapering tail.
Below is a table of common birds in the macaw family and a second table for common parakeets kept as pets.
| Macaws | Species | |
|---|---|---|
| Large Macaws | Hyacinth, Military, Scarlet, Blue-Yellow, Red-Green, Spix’s, Great-Green, Lear’s, Blue-Throated, Red-Bellied, Martinique, Glaucos, Red-Bellied, Yellow-collared | |
| Mini-Macaws | Severe (Chestnut-Fronted), Illiger’s (Blue-Winged), Hahn’s, Blue-Headed (Coulon’s), Red-Shouldered |
| Parakeets | Species | |
|---|---|---|
| Asiatic Parakeets | Indian Ring-Neck, Moustached, Plum-Headed parakeets | |
| Grass Parakeets | Splendid, Bourke’s, Rosella parakeets | |
| Other Common Parakeets | Lionolated, Monk, Green Cheek, Budgie, Alexandrine, Blossom-Headed, Plain parakeets, Conures |
Can Macaws Talk Like Parrots
Yes, macaws can talk and mimic speech like most parrots, but compared to avid talkers, such as African greys, macaws are less interested in making conversation. They prefer to spend most of their time investigating and manipulating things.
A macaw, like a cockatoo, is more likely to solve a puzzle than talk, while an AG might spend most of the day chattering and mimicking sounds.
You will also note that not all species of macaws have the same talking abilities. Some, like blue and yellow macaws, seem more capable than your average hyacinth.
So…, if you are looking for a large talking parrot, perhaps a macaw is not the best place to start. You are better off with an African grey (Congo, Timneh ), which is somewhat equally sized and keener to learn speech.
You may also get a large Amazon parrot with better speech capabilities than a macaw. They are great talkers and singers, with loud vocal abilities and pick-up words pretty fast.
Nonetheless, macaws are not drab, boring parrots just because they are not great talkers. They still make interesting companion birds, exhibiting their intelligence in other ways, including investigating and solving puzzles.
Also…, don’t be fooled by their less than astute speech and mimicry abilities. Macaws are as loud (if not more than) any parrot and can be a nuisance if you live close to other people in your estate.
Macaws are best kept by people with acreage, preferably in the suburbs.
Well, that all for this post. See you in the next one.
All the best with your macaw🦜🦜.