Reviewed by Hamza, Avian Care Lead at Dubai Birds since 2018
Housing, diet, enrichment, and UAE-specific care for the world's largest parrots.
_Last reviewed: April 2026_
Macaws are the largest parrots in the world. They are also the loudest, the most intelligent, and the longest-lived. A Hyacinth Macaw bought at Dubai Birds in 2026 will most likely outlive the buyer. This guide covers all macaw species we sell — Hyacinth, Scarlet, Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military, Severe, Catalina, Harlequin, and Hahn's — with UAE-specific advice for Dubai climate and apartment realities.
Native habitat and origin
Macaws are native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. The genus splits broadly into:
Large macaws (Ara genus): Hyacinth, Scarlet, Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military.
Mini-macaws (Diopsittaca and others): Hahn's, Severe, Yellow-Collared.
Hybrids: Catalina (Scarlet x Blue & Gold), Harlequin (Blue & Gold x Green-Wing).
Wild ranges include the Amazon basin, Pantanal wetlands, Mexican lowlands, and Andean foothills. Many species are CITES Appendix I (Hyacinth, Lear's, Scarlet) or Appendix II — check [CITES species data](https://cites.org) and [BirdLife International](https://www.birdlife.org) before importing.
We will not render that table because the on-page renderer does not support tables. The numbers in plain bullets:
Hyacinth Macaw: 100 cm long, 1.5–1.7 kg, 60–80 year lifespan, 120 cm wingspan.
Blue & Gold Macaw: 80–90 cm long, 900–1,300 g, 50–70 year lifespan.
Scarlet Macaw: 80–90 cm long, 1,000–1,200 g, 50–70 year lifespan.
Green-Wing Macaw: 90–95 cm long, 1,200–1,700 g, 50–70 year lifespan.
Military Macaw: 70–80 cm, 900–1,100 g, 50–60 year lifespan.
Severe Macaw (mini): 45 cm, 350–450 g, 30–50 year lifespan.
Hahn's Macaw (mini): 30 cm, 130–170 g, 25–35 year lifespan.
Sexual maturity is 4–7 years for large macaws and 2–4 years for mini-macaws. Hyacinth Macaws may not breed until 8–10 years old.
Intelligence, talkability, vocalisation
Macaws score lower on talking than African Greys but higher on emotional bonding. Most learn 20–80 words and short phrases. The Blue & Gold is the strongest talker among large macaws.
Macaw screams are physiological — they evolved as flock-distance contact calls across kilometres of rainforest canopy. A pair-bonded macaw greets the morning, sunset, and any returning family member with a 15–60 second screaming bout. Sound levels:
Hyacinth Macaw: 100–105 dB at 1 metre.
Blue & Gold / Scarlet / Green-Wing: 95–105 dB.
Military Macaw: 90–100 dB.
Severe Macaw: 85–95 dB.
Hahn's Macaw: 80–90 dB — the only macaw genuinely viable for apartment living.
In JLT, Marina, or Downtown apartments, only Hahn's and Severe macaws are realistic. Larger macaws need a villa in Al Barsha, Mirdif, or anywhere in Sharjah/Ajman where standalone homes are common.
Diet — UAE-specific
Macaws have higher fat tolerance than other parrots because wild birds eat large quantities of palm nuts. Hyacinth Macaws in particular cannot survive without high palm-nut content.
310% sprouted seeds and legumes — mung beans, lentils, chickpeas. Sprouting raises Vitamin C and lowers fat.
45–10% raw nuts in shell — Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, pistachios. In-shell nuts are foraging enrichment as well as nutrition.
Hyacinth-specific addition
Hyacinths need 25–30% palm nuts (acuri or bocaiuva in the wild). UAE substitutes:
Macaw Mix from TOPs or Higgins — sold at Pet's Delight Mall of the Emirates and online via DubaiPetFood.
Raw unsweetened coconut, fresh dates, and Brazil nuts — partial palm-nut substitutes available at Carrefour year-round.
Palm fruit (when in season at Spinneys) — limited window.
Without palm-nut equivalents, Hyacinths develop fatty liver disease within 2–3 years.
UAE supermarket year-round produce
Carrefour, Spinneys, Waitrose and Union Coop reliably stock: kale, spinach, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, capsicum, mango, papaya, pomegranate, apple, banana.
Summer (May–September) avoid leaving fresh produce out beyond 90 minutes — 40 °C ambient temperatures ferment fruit even with AC running.
Calcium and Vitamin A
Cuttlebone clipped inside the cage.
30 minutes pre-9-a.m. or post-5-p.m. unfiltered sunlight, or a 12% Arcadia avian UVB tube.
Daily orange/red vegetables for Vitamin A (sweet potato, carrot, capsicum).
Foods to avoid
Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic, raw mushroom, raw potato, salt, sugar, fried food, dairy.
Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, apricot pits.
Any food cooked in PTFE non-stick cookware — fumes kill parrots within minutes.
Housing in UAE climate
Cage requirements
Hyacinth / Green-Wing: minimum 150 cm wide x 110 cm deep x 200 cm tall, 4 cm bar spacing, 6 mm bar gauge, stainless steel.
Scarlet / Blue & Gold / Military: minimum 120 cm wide x 90 cm deep x 180 cm tall, 3–4 cm bar spacing.
Severe: 100 cm wide x 75 cm deep x 150 cm tall, 2.5 cm bar spacing.
Hahn's: 80 cm wide x 60 cm deep x 100 cm tall, 2 cm bar spacing.
Macaws bend chrome and zinc-coated cages. Insist on stainless steel — King's Cages, Animal Environments, and Vision are the brands serviced by UAE bird specialists.
Climate setup
1Indoor temperature: 22–28 °C. Macaws tolerate slightly warmer than greys but stress above 32 °C.
2AC airflow: never directly on the cage. Set the cage in the same room as a split AC but not in the airflow path.
3Humidity: 50–65%. Macaws come from 80–95% humidity rainforest. Use a cool-mist humidifier — Dubai indoor air with full AC drops to 25–35%.
4Bath access: large bowl, shallow tray, or hand-mister daily. Macaws love to bathe.
5Light: 10–12 hours light, 10–12 hours full darkness.
6Balcony placement: shaded balcony only, never in direct UAE summer sun. Cage temperature climbs to 50 °C in 20 minutes through balcony glass. Always have a battery-powered fan in case of summer power outage.
7Air quality: zero PTFE cookware in the home, no scented candles, no plug-in fragrances, no aerosols, no shisha or tobacco smoke.
Daily routine and enrichment
Macaws need 4–6 hours out of the cage and 2–3 hours of dedicated human attention.
Foraging toys filled with in-shell nuts (chewable, replaceable weekly).
Untreated softwood blocks — pine, balsa, yucca. They will destroy them in days.
Knotted leather strips, palm-leaf strips, large rope perches.
Stainless-steel foot toys — bells, chains, large keyrings.
Daily training session of 10–15 minutes for recall, target training, station training.
Pair-bonded macaws kept singly will bond with one human as their mate. This causes hormonal aggression at 4–7 years. Either get two macaws (always more mess and noise) or commit to neutral-handler training so the bird does not see you as a romantic partner. See [Lafeber Vet's behaviour library](https://lafeber.com/vet/) for the science.
Common health issues
1Fatty liver disease — high-seed diet, no palm-equivalent fats. Most common in Hyacinths fed standard parrot mix.
2Aspergillosis — fungal lung infection. Damp seed bowls in summer humidity are the cause.
6Beak overgrowth — corrected by hardwood and natural-rock perches; never by clipping at home.
7Foot lesions — caused by smooth dowel perches. Use natural wood and rope perches at varied diameters.
Refer to [VCA Animal Hospitals' avian medicine library](https://vcahospitals.com) and [Lafeber Vet](https://lafeber.com/vet/) for clinical descriptions.
Where to buy in UAE
Mandatory paperwork
1CITES permit — Appendix I (Hyacinth, Scarlet, Lear's, Spix's) or Appendix II (Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military, most others). Buyer's copy lists the bird's individual ID. No paperwork, no purchase.
2Closed leg-band — fitted at 14–21 days. Lists breeder code, country, year, and serial.
4**Hand-raised confirmation** — fully weaned at 14–18 weeks for large macaws.
Dubizzle and Instagram resellers regularly list macaws without paperwork. These birds are either trafficked, undocumented, or stolen. The UAE's Federal Law No. 22 of 2016 enforces CITES — buyers can be prosecuted alongside sellers. See [MOCCAE](https://www.moccae.gov.ae) for current legal framework.
Hand-raised vs imported
UAE-bred macaws acclimatise fastest. Imports from Belgium, Czech Republic and South Africa need 8–12 weeks of quarantine and acclimatisation. At Dubai Birds we prioritise UAE-bred birds where available; ask in-store.
Hahn's and Severe macaws can live in apartments with neighbour-friendly noise management. Large macaws — Hyacinth, Scarlet, Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military — are not realistic in apartments because their morning and sunset screams reach 100–105 dB and carry through walls. Villas in Mirdif, Al Barsha, or any standalone home in Sharjah or Ajman are appropriate.
How much does a macaw cost in Dubai in 2026?
Hahn's macaws start from 8,000 AED. Blue & Gold, Scarlet, and Green-Wing macaws range 25,000–60,000 AED. Military, Severe, Catalina and Harlequin macaws range 18,000–35,000 AED. Hyacinth macaws start from 130,000 AED. All prices are for hand-raised UAE-bred or fully papered import birds.
Are macaws legal to own in the UAE?
Yes, with valid CITES paperwork. Hyacinth, Scarlet, Lear's, and Spix's macaws are CITES Appendix I and require import permits. Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military, Hahn's, Severe and most hybrids are Appendix II and require CITES export/import certificates. Buying without paperwork is a federal offence under UAE Federal Law No. 22 of 2016.
What is the lifespan of a macaw?
Large macaws (Hyacinth, Scarlet, Blue & Gold, Green-Wing, Military) live 50–80 years. Mini-macaws (Hahn's, Severe) live 25–50 years. Most macaw owners need to plan inheritance — a Hyacinth bought at 30 may outlive the owner. Dubai Birds offers lifetime advice and rehoming support to all our buyers.
Do macaws need a friend or are they fine alone?
Macaws are flock animals and bond intensely. A single macaw will treat one human as a mate, which causes hormonal aggression at sexual maturity (4–7 years). The two clean solutions are (1) keep two macaws — accepting the doubled noise and mess — or (2) train all adults in the household to handle the bird daily so it accepts the family as a flock rather than fixating on one person.
What can I feed a macaw daily in Dubai?
60% large-parrot pellets (Harrison's, Tops, Roudybush), 25% fresh vegetables (sweet potato, kale, carrot, capsicum, broccoli), 10% sprouted legumes, and 5–10% in-shell nuts. Hyacinth macaws additionally need 25–30% palm-fat equivalents — Brazil nuts, fresh coconut, dates, or specialist macaw mixes. Avoid avocado, chocolate, caffeine, onion, garlic, salt, and any food prepared in PTFE non-stick cookware.
How loud is a macaw?
Large macaws produce 100–105 dB screams at 1 metre — louder than a chainsaw. Hahn's and Severe macaws are 80–95 dB. The screaming is concentrated in two 15–60 second bouts at sunrise and sunset. They cannot be trained to stop entirely but can be trained to reduce frequency. Apartment-suitable macaws are realistically Hahn's only.
