Hyacinth Macaw

[SCraig]

The Hyacinth Macaws at the Nashville Zoo are always loud and squabbling but I love to watch them. This time of year they aren't quite as pretty as they are in the fall and spring because they are molting. You can see the gray feathers on this one's back that will be blue again later in the year. They also seem to always have a mischievous grin on their faces to me.

I have better photos of them but I took this one today for a Photo A Week challenge I've been participating in on another forum. Thought I'd pass it along for those who have never seen a portrait of one. They really are pretty birds. Their coloring isn't as varied as many other members of the Macaw family but that deep blue with the bright yellow details is really pretty at times.

 

[MLeeK]

They are the ULTIMATE in parrots. You are looking at $150K or more in that bird. By the damage to his bottom beak I am guessing he is a rescue of some sort that was placed with the zoo. They are so GORGEOUS! And have SO MUCH personality! I wish there was one at one of the zoos near me just so I could go and watch them for hours!

The feathers differences are more a result of breeding/non breeding season for these guys than a moult. Tropical parrots do not have an annual moult cycle The Down feathers on the back of his neck are showing I suspect because he was just recently itching back there with a foot.
Their feathers will grow in with different colors according to breeding. In the spring you will see a brighter color to him/her because that is their breeding season. After that is over they will shed those bright feathers or alternate plumage back to their regular plumage, but rarely a true moult. They will also lose feathers by plucking if they are stressed.

 

[SCraig]

That's interesting, thanks. It's obvious that I know very little about birds other than loving to watch them. All of them except for a Parrot my sister had. We had a hate-hate relationship since the first time I saw it he took a plug out of my finger.

This one was scratching a lot but all of them seem to get gray feathers in places this time of year. Could it have something to do with their age? I suspect that these are rather old birds since they have been there for a number of years.

I do love to watch them. I have an annual membership to the zoo and it's only a couple of miles from home so I go by there a lot. The Hyacinth Macaws are the very first exhibit as one enters the zoo, so I can never just walk by without stopping for a while. They do have a distinct personality, and I've spent a lot of time just watching them.

This is why I thought the coloration change was seasonal. This is a March shot followed by a November shot. In both their coloration is much brighter than this time of year. I don't bump the saturation on any of my shots so they are pretty representative of what I see in the birds. I appreciate your correcting me though. Like I said, I don't know much about birds except which ones to call "Purty"

 

[Snakeguy101]

Great photo. The bright spot in the top right is a bit distracting but not terrible. Stuff like that is tough to see in the viewfinder. I like the last photo that you posted the most. It captures the color and attitude very well.

They are the ULTIMATE in parrots. You are looking at $150K or more in that bird.

They are expensive but not THAT expensive. I work for an exotic animal dealer and we sell them for $15,000 as already hand raised young adults, $12,000 as babies that need to be hand raised, and $10,000 as adults that were not hand raised. We can not transport them over state lines though so NY might have different prices.

 

[SCraig]

Great photo. The bright spot in the top right is a bit distracting but not terrible. Stuff like that is tough to see in the viewfinder. I like the last photo that you posted the most. It captures the color and attitude very well.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I did notice the bright yellow spot and toned it down a lot, it was just a couple of points below pure white in the beginning I may go back and just clone some of the green over it since that isn't quite as bright.

 

[Snakeguy101]

Would you mind if I tinker with it? I use Aperture to do my edits and I know exactly how I would do it in about 10 seconds.

 

[SCraig]

Would you mind if I tinker with it? I use Aperture to do my edits and I know exactly how I would do it in about 10 seconds.

Nope, don't mind at all. Be glad to see what you can do with it. I may not agree, but I would love to see what you would do with it.

 

[Snakeguy101]

Okay here it is. I desaturated the yellow and made it a bit more green then brightened up the whole thing a little bit. It took about a minute to do. Let me know what you think.



EDIT: Now that I see it like this though I think it does need the warmer colors to help contrast the cool blue. Like I said, I think you did a great job in the last one you posted.

 

[SCraig]

Okay here it is. I desaturated the yellow and made it a bit more green then brightened up the whole thing a little bit. It took about a minute to do. Let me know what you think.

EDIT: Now that I see it like this though I think it does need the warmer colors to help contrast the cool blue. Like I said, I think you did a great job in the last one you posted.

Great job on the edit! As far as the edit itself goes I think you did a great job. As to the color, I'm not so sure either. I opened yours in a separate tab in my browser and flipped between them and I can't decide. I prefer the warmth in that corner of mine but it's too overwhelming. I prefer the muted color in yours but it's a bit cool. In mine my eye is immediately drawn to that big blob of yellow whereas in yours my eye is immediately drawn to the bird. Based on that alone I guess I'd have to go with yours.

 

[digital flower]

My favorite Parrot. I had the opportunity to buy a chick one time for 25k but passed. The third photo you posted is my favorite.

 

[SCraig]

My favorite Parrot. I had the opportunity to buy a chick one time for 25k but passed. The third photo you posted is my favorite.

They are gorgeous birds. I would not like to have one in the house though because they are LOUD! These can be heard all over the zoo.

The third is one of my favorites as well. I said above that it was a November shot but I just looked and it was actually taken in December. The background is fall leaves still hanging on.