Catalina Macaw                                                                                                                                                                                     The Catalina macaw is a hybrid produced by crossing a Scarlet Macaw and a Blue and Gold Macaw, and is a hybrid that occurs naturally in the wild.  Generally, the female of the pair is the Blue and Gold, since Scarlet macaw females are more difficult to locate. The Catalina macaw usually has a yellow-orange chest with green on the top of the head and green to green-blue, with shadings of orange, on the back of the neck and back. The Catalina Macaws have a long tapered tail similar to that of the Scarlet Macaw. Since the Catalina Macaws look very similar to the Harlequin Macaw, one is sometimes confused for the other.      The picture on the top left is a first generation Catalina. The mother of this bird is a Blue and Gold Macaw and the father is a Scarlet Macaw. The bone colored beak of the father shows slightly in the lighter streaking on the top of the upper mandible. The black bib is smaller than that of a Blue and Gold, and the coloring on the head and back is green with edging of a muted orange on the back.      The picture to the right is a 2nd generation Catalina Macaw whose parents were both Catalinas. When breeding two hybrid macaws the results can vary in the offspring. The chest of this bird is a solid red-orange with no edgings of yellow. His upper mandible is almost all bone colored, and the tops of his wings are  blackish-brown edged in orange. The middle of the wings are a yellow-green edged in blue. As you can see in the lower right picture, the top of his head is a red-orange followed by blue-green on the back of the neck. There is more orange in the feathers on his back than on the 1st generation Catalina macaw. The underside of his wings are orange and yellow.       The personality characteristics of the Catalina Macaws are a meshing of the Blue and Gold Macaw and the Scarlet Macaw. The friendly disposition of the Blue and Gold tempers the more high strung tendencies of the Scarlet. They tend to be very intelligent, playful, and excellent talkers. They have a natural curiosity, a willingness to learn, and often become very bonded with members of their family. As with any of the macaws, their handling as babies plays an important role in the development of their social skills and personality. A knowledge of child psychology can be very helpful in bringing up a baby Catalina Macaw, but your efforts will be rewarded with a lifetime friend and companion.