Best Macaws Podcasts (2025)

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The Macaw Show - Michael Conner 38:15

Play Pause

3d ago38:15

38:15

Welcome back to the Macaw show! Today we are joined by business coach Michael Conner. A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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The Macaw Show - Corey Lambert 41:16

22d ago41:16

41:16

A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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Hip dysplasia 6:42

1M ago6:42

6:42

By Dr. Sarah

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The Macaw Show - Cole and Ella 28:07

3M ago28:07

28:07

Welcome back to the Macaw Show! This episode we are joined by Cole and Ella and we play some fun games as we get ready to go back to school! A great show to get conversations started again. A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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Episode 300: Follow Your Bliss (with everyone, including your Mom) 51:44

3M ago51:44

51:44

In this super secret, extra special bonus episode (actually episode 281, but Chris needed a good round number to end on), Ari rallied as many of Chris’s colleagues, friends, and family as she could, with help from his wife Bethany, to share messages of congrats on his new role as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, and a little about how he’s i…

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Episode 280: Thank You All For Everything (featuring EVERYONE!) 51:19

3M ago51:19

51:19

This is it, the last official episode of the NEI TEC Talk Podcast (at least for now)! With Chris headed off to his new position as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, he and Ari decided it was time to sunset the NEI TEC Talk Podcast. After nearly 300 episodes, countless incredible guests, and so many conversations about training, enrichment, an…

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Episode 279: Big Changes in TEC Land (with Dr Grey Stafford, Zoo Logic) 31:06

3M ago31:06

31:06

Some announcements are so big that you have to bring in another podcast to help make them. Chris and Ari join Dr Grey Stafford on his incredible show, Zoo Logic, to talk about some big personal changes and what they will mean for our show. We want to thank each and every listener who's been with us since we started this thing in 2020, and hope you …

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Episode 278: Kids These Days Say The Darndest Things (with Michael Van Horne, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 40:37

3M ago40:37

40:37

Ari sits down with NEI's own Michael Van Horne this week to chat about what it's like being a young person in the field. Michael talks about his time at college and his philosophy to help him focus on his own growth while supporting his teammates. He also helps Ari with some Gen Alpha slang and they wrap it all up with the latest NEI team building …

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Episode 277: All Animals Can Speak, We Just Need to Learn to Listen (with Sarah Bonser-Blake, Wild Welfare) 50:47

4M ago50:47

50:47

Ari and Chris are joined by their first guest who's had David Attenborough attend their graduation (at least as far as we know): Sarah Bonser-Blake, Animal Welfare Field Manager with Wild Welfare! Sarah shares the journey she's taken from getting paid to point at whales to her current role making real change in people that makes change for animals,…

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Episode 276: The Art and Science of Outcome-Based Animal Welfare (with Jessica Sheftel, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) 51:50

4M ago51:50

51:50

Ari and Chris continue their journey of collecting more amazing people from around the professional animal care world to add to the "NEEU" (Natural Encounters Expanded Universe), and are pleased to be joined by Jessica Sheftel, Applied Wildlife Welfare Manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance! Jessica shares her path from collecting behavior data…

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Episode 275: Fly-Aways, Swim-Offs, and Reboots (with Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, Animal Talk Podcast) 47:14

4M ago47:14

47:14

Ari and Chris are absolutely chuffed to be joined by two amazing gentlemen from South Africa, Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, co-hosts of the rebooted Animal Talk Podcast! Ryne talks about his long history with NEI, how our podcast inspired him to start his own, and how the idea to reboot the show with a new aquarist cohost came about after a 5 year…

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Episode 274: Let's Hope They All Talk About This Over Dinner Tonight (with The Reptile Department of The St Augustine Alligator Farm) 1:01:58

4M ago1:01:58

1:01:58

With Chris out of commission after being a pressure washing hero at work and mayyyyybe overdoing it a bit, Ari takes the helm and is joined by Dan Carvalho, Lydia Dresel, Jordan Garella, Steven Sibley, and Luis Cortes from the Reptile Department of the St Augustine Alligator Farm! The team talks about their amazing dynamics and inside jokes, and th…

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Episode 273: I Guess I'm Gonna Do Fish Stuff (with Melissa Paynter, Georgia Aquarium) 38:52

5M ago38:52

38:52

You KNOW we love talking about training animals that people don't always think of when they think about animal training, so we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Paynter to the show! Mel shares the path that took her from the Moorpark Program to her current role as Assistant Curator of Ocean Journey at Georgia Aquarium, why fish training right now is …

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Beat the Heat! Summer Supplements & Safety for Birds 56:26

5M ago56:26

56:26

In this episode, we sit down with Lea from NEKTON to talk all things summer bird care, from avoiding heat stress in parrots and other birds to smart supplement strategies that can make a big difference in the summer. Parrots don’t sweat, and hot days, especially during heat waves, can be dangerous if you’re not prepared. We cover the key signs of h…

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Episode 272: If You Want Them To Care, They First Have To Know You Care (with Dan Blair) 43:57

5M ago43:57

43:57

Chris and Ari are thrilled to be joined on the show by NEI Alumnus Dan Blair! Dan catches us up on his current zoo role as Curator of Birds, and shares his thoughts on the two kinds of respect, what's surprised him most about transitioning from the role of animal trainer to curator, the unique challenge of being brought in as a new cog in an existi…

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Episode 271: Happy Jamón Day! (with the Bird and Mammal Team, St. Augustine Alligator Farm) 53:40

5M ago53:40

53:40

Are SEVEN people too many to have on a podcast?? Not when it's the Bird and Mammal Team from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm! Chris and Ari are joined by Hannah Caster, Jessie Stull, Jordan Hoover, Ramon Castillo, and Shelby McBride to talk about what makes up a cohesive team, the unsung role of the swing keeper, and figuring out the best ways to …

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Episode 270: The Portal, The Tube, and The Assisted Lift (with Anaka Nazareth, National Aquarium) 45:22

5M ago45:22

45:22

Chris and Ari are joined by fellow training enthusiast Anaka Nazareth, Behavioral Husbandry Coordinator at the National Aquarium! Anaka shares the path that took her from America to Austria (a few times) before settling back on the East Coast and eventually into her current role in Baltimore, where she oversees the training of a lot of our favorite…

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Distemper 5:06

5M ago5:06

5:06

By Dr. Sarah

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Episode 269: The "Ponies, Sparkles, and Rainbows" Side of HR (with Dr Taylor Gilley, Houston Zoo) 41:05

6M ago41:05

41:05

Chris is joined by NEI's new (but also not really new) Director of Staff Development, Training, and Shows - Ari Bailey - to welcomes Dr Taylor Gilley back to the show! Taylor shares the path that took her from the education world to her current role as Director of Staff Learning and Development at Houston Zoo, and guides us through a great conversa…

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Episode 268: A Podcast About A Podcast (Radical Candor's "Leading Through Chaos With Stephanie Chung") 38:37

6M ago38:37

38:37

In another in our series of podcasts about other podcasts, Ari and Chris share their thoughts on a recent episode of the Radical Candor podcast with Kim Scott, featuring their guest Stephanie Chung. Chris recently started reading her book "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You," which gets a great overview in the podcast, and giv…

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Episode 267: Observe, Interpret, Improve (with Joey Golden, Maryland Zoo) 50:44

6M ago50:44

50:44

Ari and Chris are back together and excited to be joined by Joey Golden, Curator of Animal Behavior Programs at Maryland Zoo! Chris and Joey both attended the recent ABMA and ISZAW conferences, and we wanted to bring him on to chat about the great presentations he gave about his zoo's progress towards "24/7 welfare" for all their animals. We chat a…

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Parrot Kindergarten: Teaching Birds to Talk with Tech & Trust 1:54:34

6M ago1:54:34

1:54:34

What happens when science, compassion, technology and a parrot come together? In this episode, we sit down with Jen, who took a groundbreaking approach to teaching birds how to communicate using tablets and touchscreens! Her birds are the first documented parrots that can READ AND WRITE!! We explore how to truly understand your bird’s emotions, rec…

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Episode 266: Pursue Your Calling! (with Scott Trauger, Supervisor Emeritus, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 32:04

6M ago32:04

32:04

While Chris is away at the International Symposium for Zoo Animal Welfare in Chicago, Ari is hosting solo—but she’s not alone! She’s joined by former (but also still current) NEI teammate Scott Trauger, who shares what life has been like since he made the big leap to follow his passion outside the animal field. From spreadsheets to showtunes, hear …

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Episode 265: Using Communities to Create Opportunities 43:13

7M ago43:13

43:13

Ari catches us up on her time at Croc School before our hosts tackle an email asking for ideas about how to create opportunities in the professional animal care field for yourself when 1) you've moved somewhere where the immediately employment opportunities might be limited - or non-existent - or 2) you've taken a temporary break from the field and…

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Episode 264: What Does It Mean To "Prioritize Training"? (Live from the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference) 35:26

7M ago35:26

35:26

Ari Bailey is busy doing cool reptile stuff at Croc School at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, so Chris takes the opportunity to share the audio from his presentation, "What Does It Mean to 'Prioritize Training'?" from last week's ABMA Annual Conference! He shares some antecedent and consequence conditions that he's seen great teams utilize to mak…

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The Macaw Show - Chris Burns 31:03

7M ago31:03

31:03

Jesus from the Back Row! Story Teller returns to share his comedy like no one else can. A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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The Macaw Show - Michael Farris 50:27

7M ago50:27

50:27

Resounding Resilence #AA A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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The Macaw Show - Rodney Davis 31:50

7M ago31:50

31:50

Author Rodney Davis A great show to get conversations started again.By Sanna Phillips

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Episode 263: Zen and the Art of Networking (Live from the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference Zoo Day) 44:26

7M ago44:26

44:26

Chris is LIVE from Zoo Day at the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference in Galveston, Texas! Whilst wandering the grounds of our host facility, Moody Gardens, we chat with Chase Alsup from the Colorado State University Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Shelter Management Graduate Program, Rae Simmons and Aubrey Wilson from the Moorpark College Animal Care and Traini…

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Episode 262: A Feedback Loop About Feedback Loops 39:31

7M ago39:31

39:31

Chris is in the editing (and possibly scrapping-and-starting-over) phase of his upcoming ABMA workshop "Your Feedback Loop: Evolving the Way We Give Feedback to Peers," so he decided to reach out to one of the smartest feedbackers around - Ari Bailey - and see how their notes compared when she was given the assignment to jot down what she considere…

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Episode 261: Is Your Animal Doing What You Want? (TEC Talk Throwback to The Official Chris Jenkins Super Simplified Guide to Behavior™) 43:02

7M ago43:02

43:02

It's consulting time! Chris is back at the Little Rock Zoo working with a team of eight trainers from around the zoo to get everyone working with people and animals they don't normally get a chance to, with the hopes that it might help them be better "training trainers" for new staff in the future! This has meant a lot of conversations about how yo…

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Inspiring Animals - Scarlet Macaws 25:41

8M ago25:41

25:41

Send us a text The scarlet macaw is one of the world's largest parrots, and one of the most beautiful animals of the Central American rainforests. During our visits to the Belize Zoo the macaws are one of our favorite stops due to their curiosity and intelligence. In this episode Kayla and Michael take a look at some of the challenges facing scarle…

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Episode 260: The Guinea Pigs Have Arrived! (with Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe, Natural Encounters, Inc.)) 39:20

8M ago39:20

39:20

Chris and Ari share two microphones with their newest coworkers, Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe! Hayley and Taylor share their immediate feelings after their first interviews, get quizzed to see how much they know about the show sections they started learning less than 2 days ago, reflect on how they felt coming out of their first interviews,…

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Cockatiels: How are they as pets & How they compare to conures 1:14:30

8M ago1:14:30

1:14:30

Are cockatiels good pets? In this episode, we explore cockatiels as pets, how they compare to conures, and essential care tips. We chat with Ada about her flock and real-life experiences with her adorable cockatiels and canary! Keypoints: 🦜 Cockatiels vs. Conures 💛 Cockatiel care 🌙 Cockatiel night frights 🔍 Foraging for cockatiels 🎶 Canary birds – …

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Episode 259: Okay - I'm Going to Get a Degree, Then I'm Going to Come Back and Run This Place (with Kimm Hunt, International Animal Training Certification Board) 1:02:02

8M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

Ari sits down with Kimm Hunt, President of the International Animal Training Certification Board (IATCB), to dive into the IATCB certification exam—how it’s developed, maintained, and what it means for animal trainers. They also explore Kimm’s work with shelter dogs, tackling tough topics like behavioral euthanasia and the importance of understandi…

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Episode 258: Don't Panic! Let Your Weird Flagg Fly! (with Josh Flagg, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 36:43

8M ago36:43

36:43

Chris is off at the AZA mid-year meeting, so Ari is joined by NEI Senior Trainer Josh Flagg for this episode! They dive into the challenges and joys of being the new person on a zoo team. From making new staff feel safe and welcome to knowing when (and when not) to let your "weird flag" fly, Josh and Ari explore ways to set teams up for success. Th…

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Episode 257: What Does Goal-Based Enrichment Look Like For People? 28:32

8M ago28:32

28:32

Chris once again ambushes Ari with a surprise topic for discussion, thanks to a great email we received: now that the definition of "enrichment for animals" has evolved, what might "modern, goal-based enrichment" look like for the humans we work alongside in the professional animal care field? We chat about the staff-driven professional development…

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Episode 256: What Do Great Trainers Actually DO? (with Steve Martin, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 34:28

9M ago34:28

34:28

Ari and Chris steal a bit of time out of a busy day to chat with NEI's Steve Martin to follow up on last week's episode and talk about the practical, observable, and trainable behaviors that we see great trainers do. Focusing both on skills people can build in themselves and help build in others, the trio talks about meeting people where they're at…

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Episode 255: Grab Your Trowel, We're Cultivating Trainers! 49:12

9M ago49:12

49:12

With Chris busy being immersed in our Immersion Workshop, Ari is joined once more by Adam Geltz (Senior Trainer, Natural Encounters, Inc.) to discuss a listener email asking us to share some thoughts about cultivating great animal trainers. They start by talking about setting up strong antecedents to foster a safe environment for learning, move on …

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Episode 254: Changing Jobs and Continuing Connections (with Ramon Castillo, St. Augustine Alligator Farm) 45:18

9M ago45:18

45:18

Chris and Ari sit down with Ramon Castillo, who Ari first connected with through NEI’s work with Bearizona Wildlife Park—when he reached out to chat about reptile training! They discuss his time at Bearizona, his transition to The St. Augustine Alligator Farm, and how he’s working to make animal programs more accessible in both English and Spanish.…

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Episode 253: Ego, Influence, and "Extreme Ownership" 58:15

9M ago58:15

58:15

With Ari out conferencing in Tennessee, Chris is joined by fellow NEI'er Adam Geltz to talk about their takeaways from Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin. They chat about the importance of recognizing when your ego gets in the way of making decisions that are best for the team, how vulnerability and…

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Episode 252: Accelerate Your Growth Arc (with Adam Geltz and Shay Gruman, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 44:00

10M ago44:00

44:00

With Chris busy teaching at NEI's Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, Ari gets some coworker support and is joined by special co-host Adam Geltz and returning guest Shay Gruman! The three talk about how they've each been working on their personal and professional growth outside of NEI, reflecting on how breaking goals…

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Episode 251: If All You Do Is Grind, When Do You Have Time To Improve? (with Ryan Cartlidge, Animal Training Academy) 1:16:00

10M ago1:16:00

1:16:00

Chris is joined by fellow podcaster and all around amazing Kiwi, Ryan Cartlidge, founder of Animal Training Academy! Ryan chats about how a desire for better work-life balance led to exploring non-zoo jobs beyond consulting, how a friend with a recording studio led to ATA's first online course, why it's important for people in the field to "keep th…

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Episode 250: From Timid Fans to Lifelong Friends (with Ken Ramirez, Steve Martin, Susan Friedman, and Tim Sullivan) 1:51:14

10M ago1:51:14

1:51:14

HAPPY 250TH EPISODE, TEC TALK! To celebrate this fun landmark, Ari and Chris are joined by four amazing people who've had a huge impact on us and our field: Ken Ramirez (Karen Pryor Clicker Training), Steve Martin (Natural Encounters, Inc.), Susan Friedman (Behavior Works), and Tim Sullivan (Brookfield Zoo Chicago)! Our guests talk about how they a…

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Episode 249: The Uses and Limits of Anthropomorphism (with Katy Kocisko, Center for Great Apes) 48:31

10M ago48:31

48:31

Ya'll know the drill by now: you send us an email, you get invited to be on the podcast, and as a result we get to hang out with Katy Kocisko (not Kocinko, Chris), orangutan caretaker at The Center for Great Apes! Katy shares how a school field trip lead to her first internship and full time job at Bearizona Wildlife Park (where she first met the N…

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Veterinary shorts - The tubed macaw 5:34

10M ago5:34

5:34

A young bird getting playful with his feeding equipment.By Dr. Sarah

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Episode 248: Off the Cuff (with Susan Friedman, Behavior Works) 26:48

10M ago26:48

26:48

Boy oh boy, did life decide to life all over us today! Today we had a fun recording planned with the amazing Dr Susan Friedman, founder of Behavior Works... and then a surprise USDA inspection stole Ari away from us and threw everything into a tizzy! Chris did get a bit of time to chat with Susan, and though we decided to push our planned recording…

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Episode 247: Yay, Let's Talk About Grief! 36:04

11M ago36:04

36:04

Ari and Chris are back together to talk about everyone's favorite topic in the professional animal care world: dealing with the grief following the loss of an animal in your care. We share some great advice from others, some old attitudes that we think aren't helpful , and some excellent resources to help all of us deal with the worst part of our j…

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Episode 246: All the NEI Stuff and Things Coming in 2025! 18:15

11M ago18:15

18:15

With Chris channeling the year our show was born by being knocked out by COVID, Ari takes the helm for the first podcast episode of the year to chat about all the new webinar, online course, and workshop offerings that NEI has on the books for 2025. Come hang out with us, it'll be a blast! If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question …

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Episode 245: You're Doing It! You're Living Your Dream!! (with Lacey Zeno, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium) 1:01:39

11M ago1:01:39

1:01:39

Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by former NEI'er, secret payroll lover, and reluctant extrovert Lacey Zeno, Curator of Ambassador Animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! Lacey talks about the path that took her from dog training and vet school prep to being Ari's roommate in Dallas (thanks, Amy Robinson!), achieving her goals of working wi…