I am looking to changing things around in my show and find it hard to find magic props to use large macaw parrots with long tails. Does anyone have any insight on different effects they have used or seen these birds used in?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Lance Gifford

Click on http://www.jasonbyrne.com Jason uses a Macaw in his Birdcage illusion. I believe Bill Smith created it for Jason. Jason produces the Macaw from silks, then has the bird fly around the audience and then back to his arm. He places the bird into a large birdcage, pulls up a foulard, then pulls the foulard completely off the cage, and guess who is inside. Clue, it's not a bird. Watch the video.

With only a handful of performers using these large birds in their acts, effects with them is still in its infancy. It has not been that long since a production device has been made available.

You will have to create new effects yourself besides the 2 listed above.

We have only been successful using hand made bags and harnesses that hang behind chairs, on steal tables, in PVC tubes made to look like part of a table or loaded on an assistant. It takes quite a while to get our Blue and Gold to dig a new harness or bag. She sometimes makes it into a game, that can create massive time loss.

Scott

Scott,
If I remember correctly, Joseph Gabriel has an awesome act and when he produces 2 Macaws they are from the back of his assistant using a multitude of silks which does a great job of hiding the Macaws completely. Joseph does a really beautiful act.
Bill

Jason also has an incredible act. The time it takes to get the big Macaws to perform on cue every time is well worth it. There is also Arno, this great Bird act from France...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKYY-z3BNrc

Bill

So, this isn't production or vanish, but the Womack MaCaw training discs have routines you can teach your bird. When I have time I'd like to teach mine to find a card. Ofcourse, this will probably mean going through a lot of decks...

Dave womach makes great props for macaws contact him,im sure he would love to help you and plus his dvds teaches great tricks to teach all types of birds.



Henry

Back on the Kramien show in the 80's we were using macaws and cockatoos in the opening. Stan also had a trained parrot act as part of the show. For the opening, John Gaughan built a "Protean Cabinet" which is a small six-sided box where 3 or 4 doves are placed inside and when the lid is lifted they transform into a macaw - with a long tail, of course. Owen Magic also makes this prop under the same name, I believe. This is among the best "props" for a macaw production as the bird is comfortable and the tail does not get bent or smashed.