Animal-World > Macaw Types > Hybrid Macaw Parrots

Hybrid Macaw Parrots
Names and Definitions - Photos of Hybrid Macaws

Family: Psittacidae Shamrock MacawAra macao x Ara militarisPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Macaws are gorgeous birds, and most hybrid macaws are also very beautiful!

   Hybrid macaws are bred for their amazing coloring. They can be very attractive but keep in mind, they are still macaws. As a macaw owner you will reap many fine benefits. All macaws are extremely beautiful, but temperaments and behavior will vary from one bird to the next, and they do require good socialization.

   Sometimes macaw hybrids are touted as being exceptional parrots because of their appearance. However the same considerations apply when obtaining one of these beauties as applies when obtaining any macaw. Macaws are a long lived pet birds that have particular requirements and need a dedicated keeper.

   Being a mixture of more than one type of macaw, the temperament and behavior of each hybrid will be uncertain. A hybrid will be influenced by both of its parent's traits, but will often be more like one parent than the other. You will want to learn about the characteristics of both its parents to understand what type of behaviors and temperament your pet may demonstrate. Be sure you are comfortable with keeping and handling either type of the parent macaws, so that you will be competent and comfortable handling the offspring.

Learn all about Macaws and Macaw Bird Care in the Macaw Care Guide

Click on the photos of hybrid macaws in the table below to
Learn more about each type of Hybrid Macaw:

First Generation - Hybrid Macaws
Photos of Hybrid Macaws	Common Names	Parents of Hybrid Macaws
	Bluffon's Macaw Buffgold Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Buffon's Macaw
	Buffwing Macaw	Green-winged Macaw - Buffon's Macaw
	Calico Macaw	Green-winged Macaw - Military Macaw
	Caloshua Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Hyacinth Macaw
	Catalina Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Scarlet Macaw
Got a picture? Submit It Here! Feature your Macaw!	Emerald Macaw	Buffon's Macaw - Hyacinth Macaw
	Harlequin Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Green-winged Macaw
	Maui Sunset Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Red-fronted Macaw
	Milicinth Macaw Milihy Macaw	Military Macaw - Hyacinth Macaw
	Miliffon's Macaw Contributed by Ludie Childrey Thanks!	Military Macaw - Buffon's Macaw
	Miligold Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Military Macaw
	Ruby Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Green winged Macaw
	Shamrock Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Military Macaw
	Verde Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Buffon's Macaw
	Hyacinth x Scarlet Macaw "What's it called?"	Hyacinth Macaw - Scarlet Macaw

Second Generation - Hybrid Macaws
Photos of Hybrid Macaws	Common Names	Parents of Hybrid Macaws
	Flame Macaw	Green-winged Macaw - Catalina Macaw
	Camelot Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Catalina Macaw
Got a picture? Submit It Here! Feature your Macaw!	Cameo Macaw	Green-winged Macaw - Calico Macaw
	Harligold Macaw	Blue & Gold Macaw - Harlequin Macaw
	Jubilee Macaw	Green-winged Macaw - Harlequin Macaw
	Starlight Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Miligold Macaw
	Tropicana Macaw	Scarlet Macaw - Harlequin Macaw
	Blue & Gold x Calico Macaw "What's it called?"	Blue & Gold Macaw - Calico Macaw
Got a picture? Submit It Here! Feature your Macaw!	Scarlet x Shamrock Macaw "What's it called?"	Scarlet Macaw - Shamrock Macaw
	Harlequin x Shamrock Macaw "What's it called?"	Harlequin Macaw - Shamrock Macaw Some great names suggested are: Christmas Macaw Copper Fire Macaw Hardrock Macaw Casio Macaw Sharlequin Macaw

Third Generation and More - Hybrid Macaws
Photos of Hybrid Macaws	Common Names	Parents of Hybrid Macaws
	Capri Macaw	Camelot Macaw - Scarlet Macaw
Got a picture? Submit It Here! Feature your Macaw!	Camelina Macaw	Camelot Macaw - Catalina Macaw
	Maui Sunrise Macaw	Harlequin Macaw - Catalina Macaw
	Rubalina Macaw	Ruby Macaw - Catalina Macaw
Got a picture? Submit It Here! Feature your Macaw!	Hyacinth x Jubilee Macaw "What's it called?"	Hyacinth Macaw - Jubilee Macaw

Don't see your favorite Hybrid Macaw here?
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What is a Hybrid Macaw?

• Hybridization
     Hybrid macaws are typical macaws, but they are not pure species macaws. A hybrid macaw is basically the result of crossing two different macaw species. Those produced by two different species within the same genus are sometimes known as 'interspecific hybrids' or 'crosses'. Hybrids between different sub-species, within a species, are known as intra-specific hybrids.
  
  
• Mutation
     There is a difference between breeds developed through mutation and the hybrid macaws. Mutation is where a single species is developed for particular characteristics such as size, coat, color, temperament, and so on. Dogs breeds, domestic cats, rabbit breeds, and even horse breeds are examples of mutations. These animal are all dev elopements of the same species, they are not the result of crossings with other species or subspecies.

Macaw Breeding:

   Most hybrid animals produced in nature, macaws or otherwise, do not always persist. There are a number of factors in nature that limit the success of hybridization. One limiting factor involves coloration. Many hybrid animals are more colorful than their parents, so they stand out and become easy prey for predators. For many animals the offspring, or hybrids, produced from genetically dissimilar parents are sterile. However this is not so with macaws.

• Hybrid Macaws in Nature
     Generally macaws will only mate with their same species due to natural barriers, mating behaviors and cues, as well as other physical or biological limitors. However, hybrid macaws do occasionally occur in the wild. A natural macaw hybridization that produced a lot of interest, a cross between the last known surviving male Spix's Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii and a female Illiger's Macaw Ara maracana, was reported in the academic publication, Conservation Genetics, printed in the Netherlands in 2001.
     This natural hybrid occurrence created quite a stir because the Spix's Macaw is critically endangered with extinction. Since about the time of that publication there have been no more citing's of this species in the wild. There is good news though, there are now close to 150 species of this macaw in an international, cooperative captive breeding program.
     The future hybridization of macaws in the wild may increase. There is a concern about all macaws in the wild. The successes in aviculture and captive breeding of macaw species held in captivity has benefited the wild populations. Trade of wild caught birds of these species has almost stopped. For most of these species, their future looks secure. The aviculture of many macaw species is not only desirable but essential to safeguard their future.
     However, the numbers of some macaw species are dwindling due to habitat destruction. Macaws are great travelers and utilize extensive forest areas for foraging and nesting. Deforestation can create smaller, isolated areas, resulting in reduced populations. Macaws isolated from each other by a fractured range, can cause other long term problems to develop, including inbreeding and losses of genetic variability.
  
• Hybrid Macaws in Captivity
     Hybridization of macaws in captivity was often the result of accident where two species of macaw kept in the same environment, bonded and produced offspring. Macaw breeding to produce hybrids for the pet trade has resulted due to the current interest and popularity of these birds.
     These hybrids are often very beautiful birds with distinct coloration. Some varieties of hybrid macaw are second or third generation birds, or even more.

Characteristics of Birds:

   Macaw as Hybrids - Hybrids have been traditionally bred for color. The father's have the dominant gene, so this will generally influence the offspring's appearance. However some say that the sex of the offspring my also influence the color, with a female offspring tending to take on the color traits of the father while the male offspring tends to take the those of the mother.

   One of the challenges with the cross breeding of the hybrids has been a tendency for the coloring to get muddied. This has been found primarily on some of the third generation crosses and deeper crosses, and occasionally even on some second generation birds. As for their temperament and behavior, these characteristics are uncertain. Hybrids seem to inherit traits of both parents, though often more strongly those of one parent or the other.

Types of Macaws:

   Names of Hybrid Macaws - The names of hybrid macaws are quite beautiful and descriptive, such things as 'capri', 'emerald', 'rainbow', 'ruby" and 'shamrock' are what we see. Usually someone begins calling their hybrid something descriptive. Then another person uses the same name to describe the cross. This starts to become the 'common' or accepted name. Some of the most familiar hybrids have well recognized common names, while many of the hybrids are still 'becoming', in terms of their common names.

• Familiar Hybrid Types of Macaws
     Some of the most familiar hybrid types of macaws are crosses of the Blue and Gold Macaw, Military Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, Greenwing Macaw, and the Buffon's Macaw. These hybrids include the Catalina Macaw, Harlequin Macaw, Camelot Macaw, Ruby Macaw, Shamrock Macaw, Miligold Macaw, Bluffon's Macaw, Buffwing Macaw, Caloshua Macaw, Calico Macaw, Miliffons Macaw, and the Verde Macaw.
     Other favored hybrid crosses are with the Hyacinth Macaw and the Red-fronted Macaw, such as the Caloshua Macaw, Maui Sunset Macaw, Emerald Macaw, and the Milicinth Macaw.
  
  
• Common Names of Hybrid Macaws
     Unlike the scientifically described species of animals found in nature, there are no scientific names for hybrid macaws. They are primarily recognized is as a cross between 'this' and 'that'. The assignment of common names, however, has a similar history to the common names for scientifically described species animals.
     Common names, though often derived from the scientific name, are just as easily coined because of a location or because of physical descriptions like color or patterning. This is equally true of some common names concocted for scientifically described species. A name is often used by one person, and then used by others and becomes recognized as an accepted name.

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