This Starlight Macaw must surely know how attractive it is, raising its wings to show off its beautiful colors!

   The Starlight Macaw is a hybrid macaw whose parents are a Scarlet Macaw and a Miligold Macaw. One of its parents, the Scarlet Macaw, is a species of naturally occurring macaws while the other, the Miligold Macaw, is also a hybrid macaw. Hybrid macaws are bred for color, and this bird demonstrates some very strong color influences from its parentage. Because hybrid macaws are a mixture of more than one type of macaw, the offspring are influenced by the traits and characteristics of both of its parents. Father’s have the dominant gene, so this will generally influence the offspring’s coloration and overall appearance. The Starlight Macaw pictured above has a Scarlet Macaw father and a Miligold mother. The Starlight Macaw is a second generation hybrid macaw and was developed from these crossings:

   One of the Starlight’s parents, the Miligold Macaw (which is a cross of the Military Macaw and Blue and Gold Macaw) is a hybrid macaw that is a good natured beauty. The MIligold’s Blue and Gold parent is a very popular macaw, known for its sweet nature and talking ability. Its other parent, the Military Macaw is also a favorite pet because of its good temperament, intelligence and trainability. The wonderful attributes of the Miligold make it a great parent for the Starlight Macaw.

   Crossing the gorgeous Miligold Macaw with the fiery Scarlet Macaw brings a strong vibrant red coloration into the mix. Because of its beauty, the Scarlet Macaw is one of the most highly favored macaws. This sweet though independent tempered bird has been the best known South American parrot for over 100 years. The Starlight Macaw inherits all beautiful coloring of its parentage, as well as a composite of their personalities.

   “Cross between a Miligold female and a Scarlet male. Wonderful, sweet dispsition. More dark orange to red than a Catalina”… Sherry M. Glaser

   The behavior and temperament of hybrid macaws are more unpredictable and uncertain than the coloration.  Starlight Macaws are a hybrid parrot that is very colorful with the intelligence and temperament of its parents. The Starlight should be quite trainable, learning to talk and do tricks. This macaw can be a very affectionate, inquisitive, and fun companion, but may also have inherited a strong personality. As with all macaws, the Starlight Macaw will require good socialization and a firm consistent hand in training, especially as it matures.

   See hybrid information, breeding combinations, and photos of hybrid macaws on the Hybrid Macaws page.

For information about the care of Macaws see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Macaw

Scientific name:

   The Starlight Macaw is a second generation hybrid macaw. It is a cross between a Miligold Macaw hybrid and a Scarlet Macaw Ara macao .

Distribution:

   ThIs is a captive bred hybrid macaw. Hybrid macaws are rarely found in the wild.

Starlight Macaws
Starlight Macaw
Photo © Animal-World:
Courtesy Sherry M. Glaser

Description:

   Starlight Macaws are a very brightly colored macaw hybrid.  Both parents contribute to the colors of their offspring, though the father’s have the dominant gene and this will influence their final appearance. The Starlight Macaws (pictured above and to the right) have a Scarlet Macaw father and a Miligold mother, so are strongly influenced by the colors of the Scarlet.
   One of the Starlight’s parents, the Miligold Macaw, brings strong greens and blues into the mix, an influence of both its Blue and Gold and Military Macaw parents. The bright reds on the forehead are also from the the Military, but can be strengthened even more by the addition of the other parent, the Scarlet Macaw.
   The Scarlet Macaw brings out a lot of bold reds, especially to the underparts. You can also see its influence in the coloration of the beak, being a whitish color rather than the black seen in the parent’s of the Miligold. The Starlight Macaw gets a beautiful combination of colors from its parentage, making it one of the most impressive hybrid macaws.
   Starlight Macaws ‘s are a full size macaw. It is is highly intelligent and trainable. It can learn to talk with a general vocabulary of about 15 or more words and expressions.

Size – Weight:

   A full sized macaw, they can get over 2 lbs. Lengths up to 90 cm (35.5 inches).

Care and feeding:

   A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. They eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat. They eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat. See About Macaws: Housing and About Macaws: Care and Feeding for more information.

Social Behaviors:

   The Starlight Macaw typically takes on a composite of traits from its parentage, having a sweet friendly nature, as well as being highly intelligent and curious. They can be a very good natured and intelligent pet bird that is trainable and can learn to talk. They are a typical macaw. Can be cranky at times and may even be a one person bird or only like men or women unless well socialized. To have a well rounded bird that enjoys more that one person, make sure it is well socialized with lots of folks.

   See About Macaws: Social Behaviors for information on developing a well rounded friendly macaw. (Also information on handling and activities)

Breeding/Reproduction:

   This is a hybrid and it use to be that they were generally not bred, however the breeding of hybrids is becoming more common. See About Macaws: Macaw Breeding, Bird Reproduction – Baby Macaws for information on breeding macaws.

Sexual differences:


   No visible differences in the sexes.

Potential Problems:

   Can be noisy (as can all macaws). See About Macaws: Potential Problems for information on illnesses.

Availability:

   These birds are occasionally available and are expensive. There are more and more macaw breeders however, so finding these macaws for sale becomes easier as they become more common.