How to Train Macaws

Macaws are relatively easy birds to train, both to talk and to do acrobatics. Which your bird will prefer will depend on its characteristics and personality, and what you focus on training it. Some macaws can learn and repeat over 100 phrases and words, and can learn to identify colors, shapes and people. Ensure your bird is fully settled in before beginning training, and prepare to invest some time into helping your macaw to learn.

Instructions

    • 1

      Bond with your bird. This is important. Your macaw needs to respect you as its owner in order to learn from you, and the most effective learners are those that want to impress their owners. If you have just gotten your bird, spend some time gaining its trust and allowing it to settle and get to know you.

    • 2

      Focus on one phrase at a time. For example, if you want to teach your macaw to say "Hello," focus on this one phrase and do not introduce any others until the macaw has fully grasped "Hello." If you don't, you risk the bird forgetting the first word completely.

    • 3

      Greet the bird with the current phrase. In this case, say "Hello" every time you approach the bird.

    • 4

      Schedule training sessions. Dedicate at least an hour every day towards training your bird, or reinforcing words and actions he already knows. If this is not possible, schedule sessions as frequently as possible. The further apart the training is, the less chance the bird has of learning it fast.

    • 5

      Conduct training in a quiet room, if possible. Macaws are easily distracted and may find it very difficult to concentrate in a busy or noisy room. Consider scheduling training for the quietest parts of the day.