Blue and Yellow Macaws are popular pets, highly prized for their beautiful colours and intelligence. Unfortunately this has caused a dramatic decrease in their numbers in the wild due to illegal trapping for the pet trade.

They are popular as pets partly because of their striking appearance and ability as a talking bird; however, their large size makes accommodation problematic, and they require much more effort and knowledge from owners than more traditional pets such as dogs or cats.

Even the most well-tended Blue-and-yellow Macaw will "scream" and make other loud noises. Loud vocalizations, especially "flock calls", and destructive chewing are natural parts of their behavior and should be expected in captivity. Due to their large size, they require plentiful space in which to fly. According to World Parrot Trust, an enclosure for a Blue-and-yellow Macaw should not be smaller than 15 metres (50 feet) long.

I am personally against to keep wild animals as a pet. I just don't think it's fare to keep them in cages like prisoners, no matter how trainable they are or how closely bond to their owners!