'Designed to fly': The macaw that always flies back

How this Gladstone macaw owner raised his bird from egg to free flying.

FREE: Tyson Evans has raised Mac the macaw from egg to free flight. Picture: Oakey & Crew

MOST parrot owners would be scared to let their bird fly wild, but Tyson Evans would be more scared to keep his macaw locked up.

The tattoo artist has raised Mac the macaw from when he was an egg to free flight over the past seven months.

Mac, who's growing in popularity on Instagram and YouTube, had his first free flight at six months old in early July after Mr Evans took extensive training.

"I was excited, a little nervous on the first flight, hoping all the training would pay off," Mr Evans said.

"He's trained a certain way that he doesn't actually land in trees (which) can be a big problem if they decided to hang out up there, you could be waiting for a while."

Tyson Evans has spent months learning how to train his macaw. Picture: Madison Celestin

Mr Evans has had birds for as long as he can remember and has always wanted to raise one as free-flight.

"Parrots are designed to fly, the least we can do is let them," he said.

They typically go flying on a Sunday around the bush and at home where Mac's flights are logged by a GPS tracker.

"You can actually see him thinking and making decisions in the air," Mr Evans said.

"He will see a bird of prey before I do and will land back with me for safety."

Nearly all macaws are threatened species due to trapping and illegal trading. Picture: Madison Celestin

However despite the pair's great bond, Mr Evans wouldn't necessarily recommend raising a macaw as they require a lot of attention.

"They aren't an easy animal to live with," he said.

"They need a lot of foraging toys and mental stimulation, they can be noisy sunrise and sunset."

Follow Mac's instagram at @mac_the_macaw or YouTube through Tyson Evans.