Herlequin Macaw

Description

Gorgeous stoning Harlequin Macaw friendly pet available for sale

Hybrid macaws are the product of cross breeding of more than one species of macaw, resulting in a hybrid. They are often characterized and bred for their unique and distinct coloring, and for this reason, are highly sought after and valued in the exotic pet trade. Macaws are native to tropical North and South America. Hybridization of macaws occurs both in nature and captivity, being one of the few species that can produce viable, fertile offspring unlike many other hybrids produced from crossing different species resulting in sterile hybrids with factors that limit their success of survival(e.g. the liger and mule). Hybrid macaws do not hold any scientific names, and are often labeled by the two macaw species they are produced from (e.g. scarlet macaw × green winged macaw)

The hybridization of macaws is usually due to the placement of multiple macaw species in the same enclosure. Breeders may choose to pair different species to intentionally produce hybrid offspring, or the parrots themselves may select such a partner due to a lack of a suitable conspecific of the opposite sex. Due to the rising interest in hybrid macaws in the exotic-pet trade, production has increased. Their distinct coloring makes them highly sought after by competitive and exotic-bird breeders and traders. They are also bred for their “pet quality” and personality traits which results from the mixing of two species of birds. One example is the hybridization of the Catalina macaw, which is bred for its intelligence and ability to respond to training, and the harlequin macaw, bred for its relaxed and calm personality. Although, behavior, temperament and coloring can vary from each hybrid.

Recently there has been an over abundance of female blue-and-yellow macaws in captivity, and they have been highly hybridized.

Some bird breeders consider intentionally breeding hybrid macaws, particularly endangered species, to be unethical – as to do so is to dilute bloodlines and potentially produce hybrids that appear to be identical to a parent species, yet contain genes from a supposedly separate species. This may prove to be detrimental to conservation efforts if the day ever comes when (as occurred with the Spix’s macaw) captive macaws are required to maintain the existence of a pure species.