Renate Baskett

Melody Lolita blue & gold macaw spix macaw (recommended)

After a long period filled with worry and speculation Brazilians and German conservationists were able to successfully bring a group of couples back into their natural habitat. Their story is inspirational however, it is also filled with backbiting and jealousies.

The first challenge was to get enough birds to be traded. The macaws are monogamous therefore the pairs had to be well-matched.

Range

A South African couple is working to save the critically endangered Spix's macaw, which was declared extinct in 2000 following years of poaching and habitat loss. They have a small population of the birds that are in captivity, and they hope to release them into the wild close to Curaca. They call the birds their blue-eyed friends and compare their journey to the story of Presley, the only known Spix's Macaw in wild. They describe him as a true survivor, who lost his family, but was loyal to his home. They see their lives in the Caatinga as being similar to his and feel a strong connection to him.

The discovery of the last Spix's Macaw offered an excellent opportunity for researchers to investigate its behavior in wild and gain an understanding of why this species has survived for this long. This allowed researchers to estimate the population of this rare bird with greater accuracy. Researchers were able gather important information about the bird's daily movements, seasonal adjustment to drought, and its feeding habits. They also monitored attempts at reproduction with the hybrid Illiger's and Spix's macaw pair, which was an important step in the rehabilitation of this species.

It was an amazing feat that this bird survived and thrived in the wild despite having a limited gene pool. This has enabled scientists understand how these birds can be restored to the natural world. The survival of the last bird inspired people to take action to save other species of endangered parrots. It has also prompted zoos and other organizations to set up their own captive breeding programs for these exotic birds.

This group is a great illustration of how conservation groups as well as other organizations and individuals can work together in order to conserve endangered animals and wildlife. It brings Brazilian officials from government Zoo representatives as well as international owners of this unique bird and ornithologists together with one common goal - the reintroduction of the Spix's macaw.

The working group has already accomplished a great deal of work, including the creation of plans for reintroducing the bird to the wild. The group also raised funds to support community outreach as well as field research and captive-bred birds for the project. The group has also set up an ongoing committee to oversee the recovery of the bird.

Habitat

Ten years ago, the Spix's Orville macaw parrot price (Cyanopsitta Spixii) was thought to be extinct. It was threatened through the destruction of habitats and illegal poaching. Aviculturists, ornithologists, and other experts continue to do their best to save this iconic bird back from the brink of extinction.

The Spix's Macaw is known to millions of people around the world thanks to a cult animated film and two sequels. But this is only the tip of the iceberg on the long road of bringing these birds back. An international team has worked for decades to breed and reintroduce Spix's Macaws that were raised in captivity back into the wild.

The Spix's Macaw is a native species to a small region of northeast Brazil called the Caatinga. This desert region has flat savannah scrubland, which is surrounded by galleries and streams that flow through the season. It was first documented in 1819 and is among of the smallest known Neotropical parrots, with sporadic sightings from the wild, a few captive birds and some museum specimens.

To preserve the declining population, an international group was created. It brought together Aviculturists who owned the last remaining bird, as well as officials from the government. The group formed a partnership with the renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) of Qatar to establish a rigorous program to reintroduce captive-bred Spix's Macaws to their natural habitat in the northeast of Brazil.

AWWP has bought and is renovating 2,380 acres of prime habitat in Caatinga near Curaca, Brazil. AWWP also breeds and raises birds that will be released in the wild. This will give a genetically-pure source of animals for the future generations.

In the wild, Spix's Macaws reside in trees, and are not often seen on the ground. They build nests in hollows or holes, and hunt in search of seeds, fruits, nuts, and other species. They will typically spend up to one third of the day in the nest.

To assist in tracking the Spix's macaws and their movements, a local community was invited to join the field team. The community was given watches that would turn on when the Spix's Macaw was recognized. This allowed them to track the birds in the wild as well as their daily actions. This approach has been extremely successful.

Diet

The Spix's Macaw is the only species belonging to the Genus Cyanopsitta. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared it extinct in the wild on April 1, 2019. This was following the last wild parrot disappeared in 2000, and no more birds were discovered in subsequent surveys. However, a reintroduction project is currently in progress to restore the critically endangered bird to its natural habitat in Caatinga.

This dry forest is a region of northeast Brazil which covers around 10% of the country. Spix's Macaws nested in the hollows of old caraibeiras, and they were also known to eat nuts and seeds.

A reintroduction plan is currently underway to establish a natural population of the Spix's Macaw. Eight captive-raised Spix's Macaws were released in the wild in June. Twelve more birds are scheduled to be released in 2022. They will be joined by a group of Leia blue macaw and red macaw-winged Macaws that have been reintroduced to the same area, and will help to share knowledge of food sources, nesting and roosting locations.

The reintroduction program has already collected valuable data from biology on the behavior of this rare bird, including details on daily movement patterns and adjustments to drought during the season. It has also provided a window into the nature of the Spix's buy macaw which helps to discover the reasons behind its disappearance in the wild.

Spix's Macaws consume the seeds, fruits, and nuts of many plants that are native to the Caatinga Biome. This includes the pinhao-bravo (Jatropha mollissima) and the linhas brasil (Senegalia tenuifolia), along with the Joazeiro (Ziziphus joazeiro) and facheiro Cactus (Pilosocereus pachycladus). They may also consume the fruit of palms of acai (Acaia oliva) or mofumbo (Combretum leprosum).

Like all parrots, Spix's Macaws are highly social birds that have a strong bond with their parents. They are vocal and frequently mimic other sounds and words. They have a mating cry known as "whichaka," described as a short and repetitive grating sound that resembles an acoustic note. When they are in breeding mode they can fly high and fast.

Breeding

Spix's macaws are extremely intelligent and social birds. They communicate with each other through a range of screeching and squawking sounds, and like many other parrots, they can mimic human speech. They also have a strict daily routine, from flight paths to bathing habits and are able to recognize members of their family. They are very popular as pets and are frequently targeted by illegal bird trade because of this.

In the early 1980s, only three Spix’s macaws remained in the wild. They were all poached. In 1995, poachers killed both male and female birds as part of an attempt to pair them. Since then all known Spix's macaws are captive-bred mostly in Brazil.

The Spix's Macaws that are in captivity are a mixture of birds, and are the descendant of just two individuals. This leaves them vulnerable to illnesses and other environmental threats. The majority of the birds that are in captivity are housed at the breeding center in Germany, but this year an agreement between the German conservation center and the Brazilian government was not renewed which raises doubt about the future plans to repatriate the birds and reintroduce them back into the wild.

Despite their low numbers, captive-bred Spix's macaws are showing signs of improvement. This was evident when a Swiss breeder was able to beat out a sheikh in Qatar to purchase from a collector three Spix's macaws that were not part of the breeding program.

In part, due to this and other efforts, the captive-bred bird population is starting to increase, though not at a rapid rate. Keeping them healthy and producing is crucial to reintroduce these birds to the wild. It is important to choose the right birds prior to release. Macaws should be of reproductive age and be paired with close relatives or siblings.

Reintroducing the Spix's macaw to the wild may prove difficult, but it's essential to try. To help, ABC and partners have established a reserve system that is designed to safeguard the last remaining habitats. The eight recently released Spix's macaws are going to be joined by blue-winged macaws, which are more prevalent in the Caatinga and are found in overlapping areas with the Spix's macaws. These smart birds will help macaws to become accustomed to the region and provide safety in numbers.