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I have wanted a macaw for about three years now but my life has been a mess up to this point and I just wanted to wait until everything was settled. Now, it seems like this year is finally a perfect time to bring a lifelong companion into my life.

A little bit of background on me. I am about to start working at home...for the rest of my life. I have my future all planned and even planned it with the option of having a large parrot. I am financially independent and stable. I do not want a child..I want a friend for life. I have an extra bedroom for a large parrot. I considered getting a velcro bird [AKA Cockatoo!] but http://mytoos.com did a good job of scaring me away. Plus, after spending hours with both 2s & Macs...I find it much easier to read a macaw's body language than a cockatoos.

Cost and noise are not an issue whatsoever. I am okay with having a big responsibility for the next 80 years. I have owned medium sized parrots before when I was growing up. I have spent time around macaws.

My question is...which should I choose? A Greenwing or a B&G? Both are amazing to me. I do not care for Scarlets whatsoever, nor do I want a mini macaw.

I might choose the B&G just because the bites aren't as traumatic. I do have a big phobia of losing one of my fingers due to a bite or ending up in the ER. NO, I am NOT afraid of a little nip here and there. If i was one of THOSE people, I would just opt for a parakeet. haha.

P.s-I have no one whom I am sharing my life with. I do not have any friends who would bother the bird, nor do I have a girlfriend or wife. And if in my future I meet a lady whom I would consider marrying - my parrot would still be my first priority. I love my pets dearly, no one nor nothing is more important. This parrot would be no exception. :]

If you're wondering I own a dog [standard poodle], cat [elderly Tuxedo], and reptiles. I don't think this should matter regarding me owning a large parrot because they would never be in the same room. Period.

Thanks for reading! Oh, and you might see this elsewhere on the net. Because I'm trying to get as much input, advice, and information as possible before bringing home my macaw!

Okay first on personality which should be the main consideration. I would have to go with a B&G on this front. I have worked with both. I have two B&G's in my family and have worked with other B&G's, scarlets and greenwings. The B&G seems to me to be the most friendly. They are a bit smaller than the greenwing although still very large. They seem to accept change better personality wise but need to be watched so as to not start feather plucking (if there ever is a new addition to your family of any type they should be more apt to accept it as long as introductions are taken slowly and carefully). They usually give plenty of warning before nips and bites. They can learn to be quite vocal although are usually not quite so much of a screamer. They seem to do quite well with playing by themselves and with their human companions. They can be quite the clowns picking everything up with their feet to test it and taste it. They are usually quite good with eating a healthy well balanced diet.

Okay for the greenwings. They do of course have a much more dramatic coloration which for many is the main selling point. They seem to be a bit quicker to temper. They do give warnings most generally before biting and nipping although usually not as much of a warning. They don't seem to have quite as much of a problem with feather plucking as B&Gs but they do still have that possibility. They do seem to scream a bit more than the B&G although still not as much as many cockatoos. They will entertain themselves but seem to want more attention. They can be quite vocal. They are usually not as easy to trick train but seem to enjoy time with their humans.

As you can tell although I would like a greenwing my top choice is the B&G. This of course is just my opinion and others may have different opinions or experiences with the two. Let us know what you decide!

i got my bg about 3 weeks ago, she's 4 months old, and is now the sweetest thing in the universe. i have NO info on greenwings, other than i've read they're bigger than the bgs. i own my own business, so i'm gone for about 11 hours a day, but there are three other birds for her to talk to during the day, in the bird room, and the tv is always on pbs. lots of kids stuff during the day! the second i walk in the door though, all cage doors are open, and everybody gets love from mom, and the rest of the night out of the cage. i personally think that birds are so much more intelligent than people give them credit for , that it's a CRIME, or should be! to keep them caged 24/7. would you cage an infant 24/7? nope. same thing with the birds. hell, for the first 3 weeks she was home, she slept in bed with me!!!
i've wanted a bg for soooo long, and finally decided, at 40, i should probably do it now!
all i guess i'm trying to say is i think you would be okay with either [although, i think the bg's are 'prettier'], as long as you spend as much quality time with her as possible. go for car rides, take her to the craft store, the pet store, on errands, whatever. i think you have to remember, above all, no matter what kind you get, you HAVE TO invest a LOT of time in them, and that's how you end up with a good birdling!
good luck with whichever you choose, you're gonna love having a big bird! i know i do!!!

Thanks you two!

I spent a lot of time around both and ended up wanting a greenwing [B&Gs are GREAT, so it was close!]. Anywho, while at the place I came across a Hyacinth for 9,000. I have an extra $15,000...so Im thinking of purchasing him instead. He is tame, vet checked, and magnificent. Does anyone here have any experience [whatsoever] with hys?

I personally haven't ever had a hy however I have worked with two of them. A friend owns them and I have helped with training when she needs and caring for them when she needs a sitter. These guys are "tame" but let me tell you if you were worried about a bite from a B&G or Greenwing they have nothing on the hy. She was bit by the male right after she brought them home. Granted if she had been carefuller or been watching more closely it could have possibly been avoided. But anyway he took a huge hunk out of the side of her arm. She needed over 100 stitches due to the way the skin tore. She still has a prominent scar from it (although shirt sleeves do hide it pretty well). She was in pain from this for quite a while and was even quite timid with working with them for quite a while (which is where I first came in LOL!) Since then they have built up good trust and they do wonderfully. She has only ever been nipped since then (although even a nip can be scary with that size of a bird!).

What I am trying to say though is yes they can be a wonderful pet and I would love to have one but don't happen to have around $10,000 to just go out and buy one (by the time I pay for vet bills etc it never ends!) but they are definitely not for everyone. They can have a wonderful personality and if treated correctly and raised in a good environment they make a wonderful feathered friend. But you must be very careful with them, they seem to have a bit shorter attention span then some of the other large birds and if they don't want to do something they can definitely let you know it. If you are going to be nervous of their beak it will not work out. Like many animals they will sense your nervousness and walk all over you. If they think you are scared they will play on this and you will have a large bird that you absolutely cannot handle!

Since you had mentioned being intimidated by the bite of the other two I would really suggest not getting this bird. If you do get it you will need to work carefully to overcome you intimidation and possible fear because yes their beaks can do a lot of damage. A B&G or a Greenwing cannot crack a Brazil nut (or at least none I know of can) a hyacinths beak can crack a brazil nut while it is still in the "softer" baby stages. Most birds beaks are too soft to crack nuts if they are under a year old but not a hyacinth (even though its not necessarily recommended) even a young hyacinth can crack the hardest nuts giving you a good demonstration of their power. Young birds of any species are going to want to test their caretaker or trainer and the stronger the beak the harder they can test you. Keep that in mind.

If you still decide to go with the hy let us know and either way I would love to see some pics!

First of all, WOW.

You stopped me from making a huge mistake. I thought it over once again and decided to adopt both a GW & BG instead of purchasing a Hy. I'll be saving two lives, have two friends for the rest of my life, and what's even cooler...is that I'll keep all ten of my fingers! :] I think the whole reputation Hys have as 'never being aggressive' really was what made me consider one. I'm less naive today and realise that all birds will bite at one time or another...and i do NOT want to be bitten by a Hyacinth! Thank you thank you thank you for opening up my eyes!

I'm going to wait a few more months until i bring home my macaws. That way I'll have enough time to be 100% secure in my decision. I feel 100% secure right now, but, well, you know...;]

THANK YOU! Your advice was incredible.

and YOU are the coolest person ever for adopting not one bird instead of buying one, but TWO!!! really, i'm so happy. if i had felt confident enough getting a big 'second hand bird' i would have. if it was a caique - no problem, but, like you, i'm rather fond of my fingers.
yay to you. and good luck!!!

P.s- Whatever money I dont need for the first year of keeping my parrots, out of the $15K, will be going straight to a Parrot Rescue.

Hey I think any donations to a rescue, whichever rescue it is, is a wonderful idea. If you need some ideas of some rescues in your area or other areas let me know As far as hys having an easygoing personality as you mentioned, they can be that way I just wanted to make sure you knew that wasn't always the case. On another thread I was telling about my goffins. They are noted as having short attention spans, not working for treats and not being one of the smarter birds (although not a "dumb bird" either if there is such a thing LOL!). Well Gizmo says more at 10-11 months than any of our other birds do even after years and believe me Lewy the CAG talks up a storm as does Scarlett the Vos eclectus and Alex the DYH but she still outtalks them all and can do so in context. She can open any cage door with pretty much any lock. She will do any trick for a peanut and has been taught tons of tricks already at her age. So stereotyping birds is as they say "for the birds" LOL! Even though yes you can say one group of birds acts a certain way just know that there will always be exceptions and there is no way to know whether yours will be the norm or the exception. Good luck when you do get your bird/s and whichever ones you get be sure to post pictures!