Can Macaws And Cockatiels Live Together?

It may seem that two different species of birds can be completely compatible, but what may seem like a calm situation can change in a split second. When one of the birds is much larger than the other, it may become a big problem for the smaller one.

There are situations when the smaller bird has been seriously or fatally injured even when supervised.

But how about macaws and cockatiels? Can they live together? Macaws and cockatiels cannot live together in harmony. Macaws are big birds, and cockatiels are small and very passive in nature. The macaw would probably end up injuring or eventually causing fatal damage to the cockatiel.

Cockatiels are timid and peaceful birds, and they usually get along better with a bird of the same nature. Still, when housing two birds, there will always be some trouble. There is no guarantee that the cockatiels will get along with other birds, or even with their own species.

Do Macaws And Cockatiels Get Along?

Although cockatiels are very sociable birds, friendly and affectionate, they do get very jealous, especially with their owners. They also don’t get along with other birds, even with their own kind, which means you will need to maximize supervision.

If you want to get a companion for your cockatiel, it would be best if you got a bird of a similar size, rather than larger, or smaller.

There is a huge difference between a macaw and a cockatiel, both in size and strength, so they would never be able to establish hierarchy no matter the introduction approach.

Also, they are different in nature, meaning cockatiels are known for being very calm and submissive, whereas macaws can be very confrontational. Putting these two birds together will cause nothing but trouble.

Precautions To Take When Introducing a New Bird To Your Flock

If you are serious about bringing in a new bird, always ask for advice first.
Always supervise different species of birds who are already allowed to play in the same neutral territory.
What may seem like a quiet situation may change into an aggressive incident, mostly when the owner walks out of the room, even for a second. Pay close attention.
Make sure your cages and play areas are arranged in a way so different birds can’t get to each other on their own. Separate their cages and separate the play areas.
You have to be patient and constantly paying attention. It may take days, weeks, or even months to get your birds to accept each other. Separate them and introduce them slowly.
Remember that you can’t force your birds to get along. They may never will.

Do Cockatiels Get Jealous?

Cockatiels can live without a partner, but that is why they have a close connection with their owners and may become jealous if they see their human paying attention to another bird. If they see another bird in contact with you, they may try to chase the new bird away.

That is why you need to give your pet cockatiel more attention and plenty of time when bringing in a new bird, and you may play with the other bird, but not in front of your cockatiel.

Cockatiels are one of bird lovers favorites. They are quite happy to be the only pet bird in the household, and they make a great bond with their owners, that they even seem to forget they are birds.

Birds Cockatiels Can Live With

If you want to bring a new pet bird home, to house with the cockatiel, a macaw may not be the best option for you, unless the birds never get close to one another.

Cockatiels are known to be peaceful in nature, and they aren’t too territorial either, but it all depends on individual birds. If you desperately want to house another bird with your cockatiel, you should go for a bird that is same in size and strength.

Macaws are not a match since they are ten times bigger and you should avoid keeping these two birds together. Even if it seems that the macaw is timid and just wants to play, it can be terrifying of what could happen if the macaw decided to attack with its powerful beak.

You should also stay clear from lovebirds, as they can be quite territorial, especially when they are in pairs. Larger parrots and canaries or finches should be avoided as well.

Smaller birds that cockatiels may successfully house with include:

Sun Conures
Scarlet-chested
Green cheek conures
Budgies (Although it can be extremely hard. We explain why in this article!)
Bourke’s parrots

Generally, cockatiels get along better with some types of birds than others, and it’s impossible to know which ones beforehand.

Birds That Will Get Along With a Macaw

Most parrots are accepting and friendly with birds of their own species, as long as they have their own personal space. Things get troublesome once you decide to mix different parrot species.

Macaws, like cockatoos, lories, lovebirds, and caiques are known to show aggression when they are introduced to another bird of a different species. Even if you are very careful, accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.

You have to be prepared mentally and financially if a bird needs to be taken to emergency surgery. Macaws are very intelligent, and they live a long life. However, their emotional nature is very complex.

They are incredibly inquisitive and curious, and they require a lot of attention to remain happy, healthy and well adjusted. If you want to introduce a new bird to your macaw, you should make sure your pet macaw realizes that it’s not being replaced by the new bird.

Since they are very flock oriented, you have to make sure your macaw always feels like they come second after their owner in the flock and not the newcomer.

Birds that will get along with macaws include the following:

Amazons
Indian Ringnecks (We show you 20 Reasons why Indian Ringnecks are great pets here!)
Conures

Birds That Can Live Together In An Aviary

Birds need and love their own personal space, so if you have an aviary, you have to make sure there is enough space for all birds. Another rule is to get familiar with which species can’t live together.

Always make sure you put timid birds with birds of the same nature together. Birds of the same size and strength can live together in harmony. Never place aggressive birds into a peaceful aviary.

If in doubt, always ask for advice and follow this general guide to prevent accidents from happening in your aviary:

The canaries, like any other bird, need their own space. Big aviaries are the best solution for successful cohabitation with other birds such as the Zebra finch.
Birds like the Gouldian finch, Owl finch, Bengalese finch, Plum-headed Finch, Red-headed parrotfinch, Chestnut and Scaly-breasted munia can live together in perfect harmony.
The Star finch is better to be placed with their own kind.
Birds like the Zebra, and Bengalese finch, Java sparrow, Strawberry finch, and Lavender waxbill can live peacefully together if there is plenty of space for all of them in the aviary.
Diamond firetail and Cut-throat finch can be confrontational and cause incidents.

Fighting For Territory

So you finally mixed and matched the birds that can live together and everything seems great until you witness a fight.

If the bird feels there is not enough space and their territory is invaded by an intruder, it will attack.

Make sure you follow these rules to avoid fights for territory and introduce the new bird slowly to the original bird.

Your first step should be placing multiple cages far apart but in view of one another.
Then you will introduce the birds slowly but in neutral territory. Places outside their cages will work just fine.
If they are getting along, gradually increase the amount of time they spend together.
If you want to and think it will be a good idea to house the birds together, then you should place their cages close to each other.
If your birds get along fine outside of their cages and they already got adjusted to one another, consider moving them into a larger cage together.