A Man and His Macaw: The Unlikely Duo Who Became Local Celebrities

This story first appeared in CityView Magazine’s “The Love Issue” February 2026 edition.

In 2016, CityView published the story “Bird & Man Animal Companions,” written by Erin Pesut, about the unlikely duo that delights Cumberland County residents. A decade later, we caught up with the pair to see how life has been for them since we last had a chat.

On a warm November afternoon, Macy the Macaw sat perched on a metal patio table outside Haymount Truck Stop. His gold and blue feathers rustled gently in the breeze as the large bird grasped a cheeseburger between his talons and took a bite.

“That’s 300 pounds of body pressure per square inch,” Robert Lints, Macy’s human companion, said of the bird’s biting power. Lints told CityView that Macy only eats “people food” when they are out in public, something that’s more common in the warmer months, as the bird rustled through his paper plate of french fries. The bird will be 36 years old on July 6, Lints explained, handing over a photocopied “hatch certificate.” Macy and Lints have been together for 35 years.

In those years, Lints and his blue and gold Macaw companion have become local celebrities and mainstays in the Fayetteville community. The vibrant tropical bird is not a common sight in North Carolina, more apt to call the rainforests and savannahs of Central and South America home. But despite the drastic differences between tropical climates and the weather in Fayetteville, Robert and Macy have been happy since the day Lints brought his pal home in October 1991.

“I knew how to court him, and he’s beautiful,” Lints said, speaking to the process of getting the animal to trust him in the pet store back in 1990. “I wanted to give him as good a life as I could. I just knew that nobody else would.”

And Macy has a good life indeed. On top of the semi-regular cheeseburgers and occasional sips of Lints’ beer, while chatting with CityView at the Haymount hotspot, Macy enjoys his own room at home and regularly meets his adoring fans throughout the city.

Bird & Man Animal Companions: 10 Years Later

Certain elements of this story have been updated, such as time frames and ages, for current accuracy, but one simple fact remains the same: Robert loves Macy, and they’ll be pals for life.

Look for the man strolling down Hay Street, dining al fresco, or meandering through Festival Park with a blue and gold macaw perched atop his shoulder: Robert Lints is a celebrity. The bird isn’t tethered or leashed and could fly away whenever it wanted to, but it doesn’t. They stay together because they are a pair, companions for a lifetime.

In the wild, a bird like Macy, a South American macaw, may only live to be 20 to 30 years old. Out in the jungle, there are predators and disease, but here in Fayetteville, under Lints’ care, Macy may live to be 60 or even 80 years old. Oftentimes, a bird like Macy may have seven to 10 owners in its lifetime, but Lints doesn’t plan on parting with Macy anytime soon. He understands the serious commitment of owning a bird. It’s not typical. It’s not an ordinary “pet” by any means, but he feels that bond makes responsibility a delight.

These two kindred spirits met 35 years ago while Robert worked as a jeweler. On his lunch break, he’d frequent the pet store, admiring Macy, and one day, the pet store owner admitted to Lints that Macy wasn’t bonding with anyone else. If anyone else handled him, Macy would bite or scream. With Lints, he’d kiss the salt above his lip, leftover from his perspiration. Lints realized what he had to do.

Macaws, the largest birds of the parrot family, are flock animals. They mate for life. They develop deep and trusting relationships. If Indigenous peoples in South America, migrating up the coast from Paraguay to Panama, were to find a macaw chick in the forest, it would be like finding a child. The macaw would fly above them as they travelled during the day. At night, they would all rest together, like a family. Lints and Macy had developed that same kind of bond. And so, Lints brought the bird home.

Considering the average lifespan of a dog is 10 to 12 years, and a cat, a smidgen more at 15 years, Macy has already been around longer than a domesticated canine or feline. And the way you can train a dog to spend time in a crate or let the cat sleep in the window all day, it’s not like that with Macy.

“He’s never in a cage,” Lints said. “And he has a whole room in my house, full of bird toys and things to chew on.” A whole room! Lints also has two dogs, a Beagle mix named Baxter and a Dachshund named Dexter, and they all go for walks together.

“He can fly,” Lints added, meaning he could fly, but he doesn’t. His wingspan of 33 inches would be impressive. And Lints doesn’t clip his wings either. Instead, he saves Macy’s molted feathers and donates them to the Native Americans at the International Folk Festival, who use the bright aqua, bold green, and luminous golden feathers for crafting their ceremonial fans and woven paintings.

Since North Carolina law prohibits animals, other than service dogs, from going inside, you will often find these two dining alfresco.

“He’s eaten at every restaurant on Hay Street,” Lints said. Macy especially loved the chicken wings from Huske—which closed in April 2024—spaghetti from Pierro’s Italian Bistro, and for dessert, some vanilla or strawberry frozen yogurt. He can’t eat chocolate or avocado, and Robert even avoids Teflon pans in his home because they produce a harmful gas that is deadly to his bird. These two are often stopped as they go. Whether it’s curious children asking questions (like, “What kind of bird is that? How old is it going to get? Does it talk? Is it a boy or a girl?”) or curious passersby wanting to pose for a picture with Macy on their shoulder, Robert is generous in sharing and educating the public about his friendly bird.

“I always refuse money,” he explained in regards to people’s inclination to pay, “ … but if they want to buy him a burger or some French fries … ” He offered a cheerful smile, a warm twinkle in his eye.

Because of their close bond, these two don’t spend much time apart. While it may be easier for Robert to leave—birds often don’t go on vacation—he decides not to travel much. It’s not like he could take his bird to the kennel. They mostly stay together in Cumberland County.

“I worry as much about his psychological health as I do his physical health and since he has the intelligence of a 1- to 4-year-old, it’s like a child,” Lints said. “Macaws are truly like Peter Pan. They never grow up.”