Melody blue spix macaw [securityholes.science]

After a long period of anxiety and speculation, Brazilian and German conservationists were able to reintroduce couple couples back into their natural habitat. Their story is inspiring but also rife with jealousies and backbiting.

The first hurdle was to get enough birds to be traded. The macaws were monogamous so it was important to ensure that the pairs were well-matched.

Range

A South African couple is working to save the critically endangered Spix's Buffy macaw bird for sale, which was declared extinct in 2000 after years of poaching and loss of habitat. They have a small number of the birds that are in captivity and hope to release them close to Curaca. They call them their little blue friends and have compared their journey to the story of Presley, the last known Spix's Macaw in the wild. They say he was as a true survivor, who lost his family, but kept his faith in the region. They feel a strong bond to him and view their lives as being identical to his.

The discovery of the last Spix's macaw provided a valuable opportunity for researchers to study its behavior in the wild and gain an understanding of how this species survived this long. This also helped them make a more precise estimate of the historic numbers of this unique bird. Researchers were able to collect important information on the bird's daily movement, its seasonal adaptation to drought, and eating habits. They also monitored attempts to reproduce using a hybrid Spix's and Illiger's macaws which was a significant step in the recovery of this species.

It was an amazing achievement that this bird lived and thrived in the wild despite having a limited gene pool. This has enabled scientists understand how these birds can be restored to nature. The last bird's survival also inspired people to take action to save other endangered parrots and species. This has also encouraged zoos to develop their own captive breeding programs for these exotic bird species.

This working group is a model for how conservation groups and other organizations can work together to save endangered wildlife and endangered animals. It brings Brazilian governmental officials Zoo representatives as well as international owners of this unique bird and ornithologists together with one common goal - the recovery of the Spix's Macaw.

The group has accomplished a lot of work. This includes preparing an approach to reintroduce this bird in the wild. The group also raised funds to fund community outreach as well as field research and captive-bred birds for the project. The group has also set up a permanent committee for the reintroduction of the bird.

Habitat

Ten years ago the Spix's Blondie scarlet macaw bird (Cyanopsitta Spixii) was considered extinct. It was threatened by the destruction of habitats and illegal poaching. Aviculturists and ornithologists as well as other experts continue to do their best to save this iconic bird from the brink of extinction.

The Spix's Macaw is well-known to millions of people all over the globe thanks to a cult animated film and two sequels. This is just the beginning on the long road of bringing these birds back. For decades, an international team has been working to breed and reintroduce captive-raised Spix's macaws into the wild.

The Spix's Macaw is an indigenous species to a small region of northeast Brazil known as the Caatinga. This arid region has flat savannah scrubland that is scattered with galleries and streams that flow through the season. It was first documented in 1819 and is one of the smallest known Neotropical parrots, with only occasional sightings in the wild and a few birds that are kept in captivity and a few museum specimens.

To save the declining population, an international committee was established that brought together aviculturists that held the last remaining birds as well as officials from the government. The group formed a collaboration with the renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) of Qatar to establish a rigorous program to reintroduce captive-bred Macaws Spix's into their native environment in northeast Brazil.

AWWP has purchased and is recovering 2,380 hectares of Caatinga close to Curaca (Brazil) of prime habitat. AWWP also breeds and rears birds that will be released into the wild. This will create a genetically-pure source of animals for future generations.

In the wild, Spix's Macaws will live in trees and are seldom seen on the ground. They typically nest in tree holes or hollows and hunt for fruits as well as seeds, nuts, and other plants. They can spend up to three-quarters of the time in the nest.

To aid in tracking the Spix's macaws as well as their movements, a local group was recruited to join the field team. The community was provided with watches that would turn on when a Spix's Macaw is identified. This allowed them to monitor the birds in the wild as well as their daily movements. This method has proven to be successful.

Diet

The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only species found in the genus Cyanopsitta. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared it extinct in the wild on April 1st, 2019. This was in the wake of the last wild parrot was lost in 2000. No additional birds were observed in subsequent surveys. However, a reintroduction program is in the process of trying to bring back this critically endangered bird to its natural habitat in the Caatinga.

The northeast region of Brazil is home to about 10% of the country. Spix's Macaws were amidst the hollows of old caraibeiras and were also known to eat seeds and nuts.

A reintroduction plan is currently underway to re-establish a wild 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 by 2022. They will be joined by a group Blue-winged Macaws who were reintroduced. They will share information about food sources, nesting and places to roost.

The reintroduction programme has already collected valuable data from biology on the behavior of this rare bird, which includes details about daily movements patterns as well as seasonal adjustments to drought. It has also provided an insight into the natural history of the Spix's severe macaw which helps to understand what led to its extinction in the wild.

Spix's Macaws consume the seeds, fruits, and nuts of a myriad of plants native to the Caatinga Biome. This includes the pinhao-bravo (Jatropha mollissima) and linhas Brasil (Senegalia tenuifolia) as well as the Joazeiro (Ziziphus joazeiro) and facheiro cactus (Pilosocereus pachycladus). The acai palm (Acaia olive) and mofumbo (Combretum léprosum) fruits are also edible.

Like all parrots, Spix's Macaws are highly social birds that bond closely with their parents. They are vocal and often mimic speech and other sounds. They have a mating call called "whichaka," described as a short and repetitive grating sound that resembles the note of a flutist. They are well-known for flying fast and high when they are in an ecstatic mood.

Breeding

Spix's macaws are incredibly intelligent and highly social birds. They communicate using screeching, squawking, and other sounds. Like many parrots, they can mimic human speech. They also adhere to a rigid daily routine, ranging from flight paths to bathing habits, and they can recognize members of their flock. This is why they are such popular pets, and also a target for illegal bird trade.

In the early 1980s only three Spix's macaws were left in the wild. They were all poached. In 1995, poachers massacred the male and female birds in the hope of pairing them. Since the time, all known Spix's macaws have been bred in captivity, mostly in Brazil.

The Spix's Macaws in captivity are a mixture of birds, and are the descendant of just two individuals. This leaves them vulnerable to diseases and other environmental challenges. The majority of the birds in captivity are in a breeding center in Germany however, in the year 2003 an agreement between the German conservation center and the Brazilian government expired without renewal, casting doubt over future plans to repatriate the birds and then reintroduce them back into the wild.

Despite their precarious number, captive-bred Spix’s macaws show some signs of improvement. This was evident when the Swiss breeder beat the sheikh of Qatar to purchase three Spix's Macaws from a collector.

In the wake of this and other efforts, the captive-bred birds are starting to reproduce, but not at a high rate. Reintroducing them to the wild will require them to remain healthy and produce. It is important to choose the right birds prior to release. Macaws must be of reproductive age and be paired up with siblings or close relatives.

It could be difficult to get the Spix's Macaw back into the wild but it's important to try. ABC and its partners have developed reserves to protect the last remaining habitats of this species. The eight Spix's macaws will be joined by blue-winged macaws, that are more common in the Caatinga and live in overlapping areas with Spix's macaws. These smart birds will help the macaws get familiar with the area, and they will provide the security of a large number.