Birds
Hahn's Macaw (Red-shouldered Macaw)
Diopsittaca nobilis
Care level
Intermediate
Lifespan
20 to 30 years, and up to 40 with excellent care
Adult size
30 to 35 cm including the tail
The Hahn's Macaw is the smallest of the macaws, a green mini-macaw with red shoulder patches and a huge personality packed into a compact body. They have much of the intelligence, playfulness and boldness of the big macaws without the extreme size, and many learn to talk. They can be loud for their size and are strong-willed, so they suit an owner who enjoys an outgoing, characterful little parrot and can handle some noise.
Housing & setup
Provide a cage of at least 60 x 60 x 75 cm for one bird, larger if possible, with bar spacing around 1.6 to 2 cm and strong construction for a determined chewer. Include natural-wood perches of varying diameter, ladders, ropes and plenty of robust chewable and foraging toys. Keep open space for climbing and flight, and place the cage in a sociable room, as Hahn's love to be involved in family activity.
Diet & feeding
Feed a base of formulated pellets (about 60 to 70 percent) with a smaller portion of seed, plus daily fresh vegetables, dark leafy greens and small amounts of fruit. Offer a modest, measured amount of nuts as macaws use a little more fat than most parrots, but keep them controlled to avoid obesity. Provide vitamin A from natural vegetables and a calcium source. Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion and salty foods are toxic and must never be given.
Temperature, light & environment
Keep them at a stable 18 to 28 C, out of draughts, direct sun and kitchen fumes. Provide natural or full-spectrum light and 10 to 12 hours of quiet, dark sleep nightly. Non-stick (PTFE or Teflon) cookware, air fryers, self-cleaning ovens and scented candles emit fumes that kill birds within minutes, so keep the cage far from the kitchen. Give generous daily supervised out-of-cage time for this active, playful bird.
Company & handling
Hahn's Macaws are highly social, playful and affectionate, bonding closely with their people and thriving on interaction and games. Despite their small size they can be surprisingly loud, with sharp calls, so they are noisier than a budgie and may test close neighbours. They are confident and can be nippy or headstrong without consistent handling, so early, positive socialisation and clear routine keep them friendly and well-mannered.
Enrichment & exercise
Provide robust foraging toys, shreddable wood and palm, ropes, ladders and puzzle feeders, rotating them often as these busy birds destroy toys quickly. Hahn's enjoy learning words, whistles and tricks, which exercises their sharp minds. Daily flight and active climbing are important exercise. Positive-reinforcement training channels their bold energy and reduces nippy behaviour.
Common health problems
Feather plucking
Signs: Bald patches, chewed feathers and over-preening, often from boredom, insufficient interaction or stress.
Prevention: Provide daily interaction, foraging enrichment and exercise, ensure good sleep, and have an avian vet rule out disease.
Obesity
Signs: Excess weight, a fatty keel, breathlessness on exertion and reduced activity, often from too many nuts and seeds.
Prevention: Feed a controlled pellet-based diet with measured nuts and ensure plenty of daily flight and play.
Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD)
Signs: Weight loss despite eating, regurgitation, undigested food in droppings and neurological signs such as weakness.
Prevention: Quarantine and health-test new birds, avoid exposure to birds of unknown status, and seek prompt avian diagnosis.
Psittacosis (chlamydiosis)
Signs: Fluffed posture, lethargy, nasal or eye discharge, lime-green droppings and laboured breathing.
Prevention: Quarantine and vet-test new birds and keep housing clean and ventilated; note this disease can spread to people.
See a vet urgently if...
- !Sitting fluffed on the cage floor instead of perching, an emergency
- !Tail bobbing at rest or open-mouth, laboured breathing
- !Not eating, regurgitating or sudden weight loss
- !Sudden silence, drooping wings or inability to grip the perch
- !Bleeding or a broken blood feather
In Macau
Hahn's Macaws are CITES Appendix II, so a bird needs legal documentation; buy only from a reputable, papered source. They offer much of the macaw personality in an apartment-friendlier size, but they can still be loud in bursts, so consider close neighbours. Keep housing cool, dry and ventilated against the heat, never run non-stick cookware or scented products nearby, and quarantine plus vet-check any new arrival.
Hahn's Macaws are the smallest macaws in the world, yet they behave like miniature versions of their giant blue-and-gold cousins, complete with the bold attitude, playful antics and, relative to their size, an impressively big voice.
Questions about your exotic pet?
Our team sees small mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Book a wellness check or a species consult.
Book an exotic consultRelated care sheets
General guidance reviewed by the Royal Veterinary Center team. Not a substitute for a veterinary examination. Always confirm species-specific and legal requirements for Macau.