The Macaw Society

19/09/2026

Thank you so much, Harrison's Bird Foods, for your continued support and for sponsoring the Foundations of Avian Medicine & Nutrition symposium! 🦜💚

We are very grateful for your sponsorship and for helping create opportunities to share science-based information about avian health and nutrition with veterinarians, students, researchers, and bird enthusiasts around the world.

Thank you for continuing to support The Macaw Society, avian research, education, and conservation. ❤️🦜

18/09/2026

Today is the day! 🦜

Join us online for Foundations of Avian Medicine and Nutrition. Please note the updated order of today’s presentations in the flyer.

📅 September 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM US Central Time (UTC -5)
💻 Fully virtual | 5 CE hours

More than 150 participants from 17 countries are already joining us!

Registration closes at 8 am US Central Time (UTC-5)
https://cped.tamu.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=1750793

Sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods Proceeds support research by The Macaw Society.

17/09/2026

Only two days to go! 🦜

Here is the complete program for Foundations of Avian Medicine and Nutrition.

📅 Friday, September 18
9:00 AM–4:00 PM US Central Time (UTC -5)
Fully virtual | 5 CE hours

$20 registration for students worldwide and participants in emerging and developing economies.

Proudly sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods

Register here:
https://cped.tamu.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=1750793

Proceeds support the research of The Macaw Society

14/09/2026

Meet the experts behind Foundations of Avian Medicine and Nutrition! 🦜

This one-day virtual symposium brings together practical avian medicine, nutrition, emergency care, research on captive and wild parrots, and actionable feeding recommendations.

📅 September 18, 2026
9:00 AM–4:00 PM US Central Time (UTC -5)
Fully virtual | 5 CE hours

Open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students, researchers and bird enthusiasts.

Register here:
https://cped.tamu.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=1750793

Hosted by Texas A&M University Office of Continuing Education and The Macaw Society. Sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods

Proceeds support the research of The Macaw Society.

09/09/2026

🦜 Strengthen your foundations in avian medicine and nutrition!

Join us for a practical, one-day virtual symposium covering:

• Avian medicine and clinical decision-making
• Essential principles of avian nutrition
• Assessment and stabilization of avian emergencies
• Insights from captive and wild parrot research
• Practical avian feeding recommendations
• Live question-and-answer sessions

📅 September 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (USA Central Time. UTC -5)
💻 Fully virtual
📚 5 CE hours for veterinarians
🎓 Texas A&M Certificate of Participation

Open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students, researchers and bird enthusiasts.

🔗 Register here:
https://cped.tamu.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=1750793

Sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods 💚

❤️ Proceeds support the research of The Macaw Society

08/09/2026

👀 Spoiler alert!
Do you want to better understand avian medicine, nutrition and emergency care? 🐦🩺🥗

On September 18, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciencesand The Macaw Society are bringing together avian veterinarians, nutrition specialists and parrot researchers for a new virtual course sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods

💻 Join from anywhere
📚 Earn 5 Continuing Education hours
🦜 Help support our parrot research

More details tomorrow! ❤️
Link: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/ce/avian-symposium/

17/07/2026

📹💥 Fieldwork doesn't always go according to plan... and that's part of the adventure!

In June, we installed four newly upgraded nest cameras inside wild Macaw nest boxes in Tambopata. New hardware, new software, easier access for maintenance—everything seemed perfect.

Then we returned this month and discovered that one camera had been completely destroyed by a very determined macaw.

The best part? The camera kept recording during the attack, capturing its own dramatic finale: a giant macaw beak filling the screen just moments before everything went dark. 😅🦜

Field research is full of surprises. Every season teaches us something new, and sometimes those lessons come with a broken camera. Fortunately, the other cameras are still running, and we're excited to see what they reveal about the secret lives of wild macaws.

Science isn't always glamorous—but it's never boring! 🌿
THANK YOU Harrison's Bird Foods for supporting our macaw research. 🙏

09/07/2026

🦜💚 What happens after the chicks leave the nest?

As we review footage from this year's nesting season in the Peruvian Amazon, we're finding some exciting surprises!

Our nest cameras captured something we hadn't documented before in Tambopata . Even after the chicks had successfully fledged, adult Scarlet Macaws kept returning to the nest cavity—and even spent the night inside.

Why? We're not sure yet. They may be protecting an important nest site, strengthening their pair bond, or simply using the cavity as a safe place to roost.

This is why long-term research matters. Every season reveals something new, and sometimes the most interesting discoveries happen after we think the story is over.🌿📹

THANKS to Harrison's Bird Foods for supporting wild parrots and macaw research.

17/06/2026

🦜 Can confiscated parrots learn to live wild again?

Our new study follows the release of Yellow-crowned Amazon parrots in Colombia after preparation using free-flight training.

The results were encouraging: the parrots stayed together, remained connected to the release site, and developed behaviors important for life in the wild.

Congratulations to Donald Brightsmith, Alejandro Rigatuso, Chris Biro, and David Geiszler—and thank you to everyone who helped give these parrots a second chance.

📄 Successful release of confiscated Amazona parrots using free-flight training

🔗 Open access. Link in the comments.

11/06/2026

🦜🌿 What happens when wild cockatoos find “fast food” in the city? Video con subtitulos en Espanhol🌎

Our final Wild Parrot Diets talk recording is now available!

🎥 Fast Food for Cockatoos: Diet and Foraging Ecology of the Karak in the Urban Environment by Dr. Erika Roper

Learn how the Forest Red-tailed Black-cockatoos use food resources in urban and human-modified landscapes — and what their foraging behavior can teach us about adaptation, habitat change, and conservation.

This talk is part of "Wild Parrot Diets: Lessons from Foraging Ecology for Better Captive Care", hosted by The Macaw Society and generously sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods

In this talk, Dr. Erika Roper explores the diet and foraging ecolog...