Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws: When It Points to Liver Disease
- Green or yellow-green urates are not normal in macaws. They can happen when bile pigments such as biliverdin are being passed into the urine portion of the droppings, which may point to liver disease.
- Biliverdinuria is a sign, not a diagnosis. Liver inflammation, infection such as psittacosis, toxin exposure, poor diet, and some severe systemic illnesses can all cause it.
- A single oddly colored dropping after eating strongly colored foods may be harmless, but repeated green urates, reduced appetite, fluffed posture, weight loss, or breathing changes mean your bird should be examined promptly.
- Diagnosis usually involves a physical exam, weight check, bloodwork, and often imaging. More advanced cases may need bile acids testing, infectious disease testing, or liver sampling.
- Typical US cost range for workup and early treatment is about $250-$900 for an exam, fecal review, basic bloodwork, and supportive care. More complete avian liver workups with imaging and infectious disease testing often run $900-$2,500+.
What Is Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws?
In a healthy macaw dropping, the urate portion is usually white. When that white part turns green or yellow-green, your vet may describe it as biliverdinuria. Birds excrete bile pigment mainly as biliverdin, not bilirubin like mammals, so green-stained urates can be an important clue that the liver is inflamed, stressed, or not processing waste normally.
This finding does not prove liver disease by itself. Diet changes, severe illness, dehydration, and some infections can also change droppings. Still, repeated green urates deserve attention because birds often hide illness until they are quite sick.
In macaws, biliverdinuria is especially important because parrots can develop liver problems from infectious disease, poor nutrition, obesity, toxin exposure, or chronic inflammatory conditions. If your bird also seems tired, fluffed up, eating less, losing weight, or breathing harder, your vet will usually want to investigate sooner rather than later.
Symptoms of Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws
- Green or yellow-green staining of the urates instead of normal white
- Wet, mushy, or more frequent droppings
- Reduced appetite or selective eating
- Weight loss or prominent keel bone
- Fluffed feathers, quiet behavior, or reduced activity
- Increased thirst or increased urine portion of droppings
- Regurgitation or vomiting
- Swollen or puffy abdomen
- Breathing effort or tail bobbing
- Weakness, poor perching, or sudden decline
Green urates matter most when they happen repeatedly or show up with other signs of illness. See your vet promptly if your macaw has more than a day of abnormal droppings, seems less interested in food, or is losing weight. See your vet immediately if there is labored breathing, marked weakness, collapse, neurologic changes, or a very swollen abdomen, because advanced liver disease and some infectious causes can become emergencies.
What Causes Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws?
The main concern is liver disease, but there are several ways a macaw can get there. Common categories include liver inflammation, fatty liver change, infectious hepatitis, toxin exposure, and chronic nutritional imbalance. VCA notes that birds with advanced liver disease may have yellow- or green-stained urates, and Merck and VCA both note that psittacosis/chlamydiosis can cause lime-green droppings when the liver is involved.
Infectious causes matter because some are contagious and some, like psittacosis, are also a human health concern. Other possible triggers include exposure to aerosolized toxins, heavy metals, moldy food, unsafe supplements, or long-term seed-heavy diets that do not meet a macaw's nutritional needs. Obesity and inactivity can also contribute to liver stress in parrots.
Not every green dropping is biliverdinuria. Strongly pigmented foods can temporarily change the fecal portion, and high-fruit meals can increase the urine portion. That is why your vet will want a careful history about diet, recent treats, household exposures, new birds, and any changes in behavior or body weight.
How Is Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws Diagnosed?
Diagnosis starts with a hands-on avian exam. Your vet will look at body condition, hydration, breathing, abdomen, and the actual droppings. A gram scale weight is especially helpful in birds because even small losses can be meaningful. Basic testing often includes a complete blood count and chemistry panel to look for inflammation, anemia, dehydration, and liver-related changes.
VCA also recommends tests that help assess liver function more directly, including bile acids, along with radiographs to evaluate liver size and the shape of the coelomic cavity. Depending on the case, your vet may suggest infectious disease testing such as PCR or serology for psittacosis/chlamydiosis, especially if there are respiratory signs, multiple birds in the home, or human exposure concerns.
If the cause is still unclear, advanced diagnostics may include ultrasound, endoscopy/laparoscopy, or liver biopsy. These tests can help distinguish inflammation, fatty change, fibrosis, infection, neoplasia, or toxin-related injury. Because biliverdinuria is only one clue, the goal is to identify the underlying problem and match treatment intensity to how stable your macaw is.
Treatment Options for Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws
Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.
Budget-Conscious Care
- Avian exam and gram-scale weight check
- Dropping review and husbandry history
- Basic CBC and/or limited chemistry if available
- Immediate supportive care such as warmth, fluid support, and diet correction
- Home monitoring plan for appetite, droppings, and daily weight
Recommended Standard Treatment
- Avian exam, weight trend review, CBC, full chemistry, and bile acids
- Radiographs to assess liver size and coelomic detail
- Targeted infectious disease testing such as psittacosis PCR/serology when indicated
- Supportive care: fluids, assisted feeding if needed, nutritional correction, and liver-supportive medications or supplements chosen by your vet
- Follow-up recheck with repeat weight and selected lab monitoring
Advanced / Critical Care
- Hospitalization with intensive fluid, thermal, oxygen, and nutritional support
- Advanced imaging such as ultrasound or referral radiology review
- Endoscopy/laparoscopy and liver biopsy or aspirate when appropriate
- Expanded infectious disease, toxicology, or specialized laboratory testing
- Critical care monitoring and treatment of complications such as severe weakness, coagulopathy concerns, or marked abdominal enlargement
Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.
Questions to Ask Your Vet About Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws
Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.
- Do these droppings look like true biliverdinuria, or could diet be changing the color?
- Which tests would most efficiently tell us whether this is liver disease, kidney disease, infection, or a husbandry problem?
- Should my macaw be tested for psittacosis or other contagious diseases, and do people in the home need precautions?
- Is my bird stable enough for outpatient care, or do you recommend hospitalization today?
- What diet changes are safest right now, and what foods should I avoid until we know more?
- Are liver-supportive supplements or medications appropriate in this case, and what benefits or limits should I expect?
- What should I track at home each day, such as weight, appetite, droppings, and activity?
- If we start with conservative care, what changes would mean we should move to imaging, infectious disease testing, or biopsy?
How to Prevent Green Urates and Biliverdinuria in Macaws
Prevention focuses on liver health and early detection. Feed a balanced macaw diet built around a quality formulated base, with produce and other foods guided by your vet, rather than relying on a seed-heavy menu. Keep your bird active, monitor body weight regularly, and avoid sudden diet swings or unverified supplements.
Reduce exposure risks at home. Quarantine new birds, practice good hand hygiene, and keep cages, bowls, and perches clean. Because some infectious causes of green urates are contagious and some are zoonotic, routine wellness exams are worth planning even when your macaw seems normal.
Environmental safety matters too. Avoid smoke, aerosolized chemicals, overheated nonstick cookware fumes, moldy foods, and access to metals or other toxins. The earlier your vet sees subtle changes in droppings, appetite, or weight, the better the chance of finding a manageable cause before liver disease becomes advanced.