Animal-World > Pet Birds > Macaws > Severe Macaw

Severe Macaw

Chestnut-fronted Macaw Family: Psittacidae

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Ara severa Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Animal World

   The Severe macaw is one of the "mini" macaws. The baby Severe Macaw pictured above is one of two very sweet, friendly baby birds!

  The father and mother are about 14 years old. They had three eggs, two of which hatched. The third egg was cracked and never hatched. We pulled the babies from the nest when they were four weeks old, and hand fed them from there.
   The babies are now about 12 weeks old and are still taking one feeding per day. This is a picture of the younger baby. They both are very loving and love to cuddle into your lap or chest wherever you hold them. They can be noisy but with a little attention they will calm down and be very good companions. Usually they make noise in the morning because they are so excited to have the cover removed from their cage and they like to be fed.

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

Scientific name: Ara severa

Description:
   Severe Macaws or Chestnut-fronted Macaws are a mini-macaw, like the Hahn's Macaw. They are predominantly green with patches of red and blue on the underside of the wings.

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, and commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat.

Distribution:
   The Severe's natural habitat runs from eastern Panama in Central America south as far as Bolivia and Brazil.

Size - Weight:
   Severes can grow to lengths of 40 cm (16 inches)

Phillip	Baby.
Phillip is a very proud father
Photos © Animal World

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The usual clutch consists of two or three eggs which incubate for about 26 days. The babies will fledge after about 3 months in the nest. Feed the parents plenty of greenstuffs, corn-on-the-cob, carrots, and fruit laced with food supplement while they are rearing the youngsters.

Sexual differences: No visible differences.

Potential Problems: Can be noisy (as can all macaws).

Availability: This bird is fairly common and should be easy to obtain.

Comments from people who have kept this pet:

I have a beautiful Severe macaw named Kahlua. She is so funny but is very posessive of me when it comes to other people. I also have a blue and gold named Simba and a Hyacinth named Caesar. She is best friends with Simba and they are so close that I have let them share the same cage. I never thought they'd get along because of the size difference but they do, and Kahlua is definately the boss. I think a Severe macaw is a great bird for anyone who wants to have a big macaw but either doesn't have the room or is scared to take one on. The Severes have all the personality, charm, and style that the larger macaws have but are a little bit more managable. I love my Severe to death, she is so darn cute and cuddly, and sharp as a tack too.

I also have a male severe macaw called Orin. We live in the Czech rep. He will turn 3 on 17.3.08, so very soon. Now he is a nice big boy but I got him in his 2nd month so he is like my third child. My two real children (8 and 4) love him very much and he loves them as well, but he fell in love with our new cat Suzy (main coon) two months ago. She is sitting next to his cage and he is talking and singing to her all day long. He knows more than 10 words and sentences and many sounds. I dont know if she understands, but is listening well. I have wanted to buy a female macaw for him but now I am not sure if it's still a good idea. It's really curious and funny for all who come to visit us. In this country it is not very often to have this type of macaw, so its good to know about others care of these magnificent birds.

We have a 4 year old Severe Macaw. Her name is Winston! She is named Winston because the breeder told us "she" was a male! Then we suspected she was a female and had her DNA tested and yes, she is a female! She is the funniest bird we have (we have 8 birds, four of them are Macaws). She loves to twist her head around in a figure 8. She talks very well, and seems to know much more than she is willing to say, because she will surprise us constantly with new phrases that we had no idea that she could say! One day we were talking to the other Macaw we have in the same room where she lives. We were saying "I love you" to the other Macaw (a Military). All of a sudden Winston blurted out, "I love you!" loud and clear as a bell! She had never said that before, and she has never said it again!! LOL. She is a riot. She loves to play Peek a Boo and will run right over to play with me when I approach her cage. She is adorable and we love her so much!

I have an 11 year old severe, her name is coco. She is very comical. She love kisses from me and only me. If my husband gets too close she yells at him and says get out of here, but he has never done any thing to her. She loves chocolate chip cookies and when she want a cookie she will ask for, and keep repeating, can i have a cookie until you give her one. Then she says thank you. I have always had birds but until i adopted her I did not know the true meaning of bird love. She is my pride and joy. I have 5 other birds; 1 is a blue and gold macaw, 1 is a military macaw, 2 cockatiels, and a senegal parrot. I love them all with all my heart, but coco is the one that holds the key to my heart. I hope everyone can experence having a severe the way I have. Please love your birds unconditionally, the way I do.

I bought my Severe Macaw 25yrs ago. Her name is Lucy. I remember hand feeding her for months and Lucy winds up falling in love with my girlfriend. That wasn't the problem, the problem was she didn't want me around when my girlfriend was over. You would think I tortured the bird the way she would come at me. After marrying my girlfriend, and after two decades, the bird now shows me love. However when my wife enters the room, I make sure the bird is away from my face as I love her, but still don't trust her.

I adopted a 16 year old female Severe whose owner had passed away. She took right to me but doesn't want anyone else coming near her or her cage.....she will come after them like a shark. She talks really well and says a lot of different things and likes to be petted. When I cover her cage in the evening, she takes the cover off and plays peek-a-boo until she falls asleep. She really has brought a lot of joy into my life and has quite the personality - not nippy at all. CFULLER

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Author: Clarice Brough, CAS

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