Meet the Store Pets: Sadie, Hyacinth Macaw
Meet Sadie, a 30 year old female Hyacinth Macaw. Sadie is one of our longest residents at the store and a huge fan favorite with both our staff and customers. We purchased Sadie and her mate in 2000 when she was 6 years old in hopes of them being a breeding pair for our program. Sadie and her mate were a young pair that got along well, but were never really bonded. Unfortunately her mate passed away a few years later, unexpectedly, and Sadie spent more and more time with staff and customers, becoming a great pet. Over the next several years we tried two more male Hyacinths with her, both of which she tolerated but never really took to. She preferred to spend time with people or her best girlfriend, Boo, my dad’s Greenwing Macaw. She has become so bonded with Boo after 15 years of hanging out in the aviary together or on the front stands, that they feed each other, protect each other from “intruders”, and even cross tails and try to breed with each other ! She clearly does not have eyes for Hyacinths. Any time a Greenwing comes in her view, she gets fluffed up and honks at them very excitedly!
Over the last five years or so Sadie has mellowed severely. As a young bird she would be nearly unhandleable during her breeding cycle as she was so aggressive. Now she only acts out occasionally when in her cage, but otherwise is one of the most predictable and laid back birds we have. She is my go-to bird to have non-bird owners handle as I know she will win hearts with her sweet nature. She loves to have her head pet and will sit on the bench with someone for hours. I’m sure many of you reading this have handled her and know first hand how sweet she is! She does great with kids and adults and I often have little kids hold her on the bench and she’s almost the same height as them!
Sadie always draws attention because of what she is. It’s not common to see a Hyacinth Macaw and even if you don’t know what species they are, a solid blue, huge bird is striking! We think she is a magnificent ambassador of her species and are happy to share her with the bird world. Hyacinths are often called the gentle giants of parrots and Sadie fits that bill perfectly. Her and I have been buds since I was little and I hope we can grow old together, too. She’s accompanied me on many outings for kids, nursing homes, pet events, bird fairs, and even my high school senior photos . If you haven’t ever met Sadie, make sure to stop in soon to see what all the fuss is about!
