Parrot making strange sounds and puffing up its chest...

by Steve
(Hawaii)

A week or two ago I rescued/purchased a Yellow Collared Macaw from an owner that banished him to the garage since no one in the family wanted him or wanted to care for him (we were told he is a he).

We have improved his diet, have him in our house where he gets a lot of sunshine and he appears to be very happy. After only two weeks I can handle him and he will not bite me.

There is one thing he does that I have never in my twenty years of parrot rescue seen a parrot do. He makes little noises and his chest puffs up like a balloon! A short after he stops making the sounds, his chest goes back down to its normal size.

Is this characteristic of a mating ritual or could it be due to an illness? Any help would be greatly appreciated.