Melody Blue Spix Macaw

After a long time filled with speculation and worry, Brazilians and German conservationists managed to successfully reintroduce a grouping of couples back to their natural habitat. Their story is inspiring but also rife with backbiting and jealousies.

The first obstacle was to get enough birds for the trade. The macaws were monogamous so it was important to match pairs well.

Range

A South African couple is working to save the critically endangered Spix's catalina macaw price, which was declared extinct in 2000, following decades of poaching and habitat loss. They have a tiny population of the birds in captivity and hope to release them in the wild near Curaca. They call the birds little blue companions, and compare their journey with the story of Presley, the only known Spix's Macaw found in the wild. They describe him as a true survivor, who lost his family but remained loyal to his area. They see their lives in the Caatinga as akin to his, and feel a strong affinity with him.

The discovery of the last Spix's Macaw offered a valuable opportunity for researchers to examine its behavior in the wild and gain a deeper understanding of how this species survived so long. This allowed researchers to determine the historical population of this rare bird with greater accuracy. Researchers were able to collect important data on the bird's daily movements, its seasonal adjustment to drought, as well as its eating habits. They even monitored reproduction attempts using a hybrid Spix's and Illiger's macaw pair which was a crucial step in the rehabilitation of this species.

It was a remarkable achievement that this bird survived and thrived in the wild despite having a limited gene pool. This has allowed scientists to better understand how these birds can be reintroduced back to the natural world. The last bird's survival also encouraged people to take action to save other endangered parrots and species. This has also encouraged zoos to create their own captive breeding programs for these exotic species of birds.

This working group is an example of how conservation groups and other organizations can collaborate to conserve endangered animals and wildlife. This group brings together Brazilian government officials, representatives from zoos, international owners of the Spix's macaw and ornithologists with an aim in common: the recovery of this unique bird.

The working group has already accomplished a lot of work, including developing a plan for reintroducing the bird into the wild. The group has also been working to raise funds to fund field research, community outreach and captive-breed birds for the reintroduction program. They have also formed a permanent committee to recover the bird.

Habitat

Ten years ago, the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta Spixii) was believed to be extinct. It was endangered through the destruction of habitats and illegal poaching. Today, ornithologists and aviculturists continue to work tirelessly to save this iconic bird back from the brink of extinction.

A popular animated movie and two sequels have made the Spix's macaw recognizable to millions of people worldwide, but this is just the beginning of the iceberg in the long journey to save these birds from the edge. For decades, an international team has been working to breed and reintroduce Spix's macaws that have been raised in captivity into the wild.

The Spix's Macaw is an indigenous species found in a tiny region of northeast Brazil called the Caatinga. This arid region has flat savannah scrubland, interspersed with seasonal streams and gallery forests. It was first described in 1819 and is among of the lesser-known Neotropical parrots, despite only sporadic sightings from the wild as well as a few captive birds and a few museum specimens.

To protect the population that is declining, an international committee was formed that gathered aviculturists who had the last remaining birds as well as officials from the government. The group forged a partnership with the world-renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation of Qatar to create a program to reintroduce Spix's Macaws back to their natural environment.

AWWP has acquired and is restoring 2,380 hectares in the Caatinga near Curaca (Brazil) of prime habitat. AWWP also breeds and Blue macaw price raises birds to be released into the wild. This will create a genetically-pure source of animals for future generations.

Spix's Macaws are typically found in trees, and rarely seen on the ground. They nest in tree hollows or holes and forage to find seeds, fruits, nuts, and other plants. They will typically spend up to one third of the day in the nest.

To assist in tracking the Spix's macaws as well as their movements, a local group was invited to join the field team. The community was provided with watches that would be activated if the Spix's Macaw was identified. This allowed them to monitor the birds in the wild as well as their daily actions. This method has proven to be successful.

Diet

The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only species in the Genus Cyanopsitta. It was declared extinct in the wild in 2019 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature after the last wild parrot disappeared in 2000. subsequent surveys failed to find any additional birds. A reintroduction programme is in progress to try to bring this critically endangered bird to its native home in the Caatinga.

The northeast region of Brazil covers approximately 10% of the country. Spix's Macaws nestled in the hollows of old caraibeiras, and they were also known to feed on nuts and seeds.

A reintroduction program is now underway to establish a natural population of the Spix's Macaw. Eight captive-raised Spix's macaws were released into the wild in June. Twelve more birds are scheduled to be released in 2022. They will be joined by a group of Blue-winged macaws that have been reintroduced and will share information on food sources, nesting and places to roost.

The reintroduction program has obtained valuable biological data on the behavior of this bird, which includes details of daily movement patterns and adjustments to drought. It also provides an insight into the natural history of the Spix's Macaw and helped to better determine the causes that led to its extinction in the wild.

Spix's Macaws consume the seeds, fruits and nuts of many species native to the Caatinga biome. Pinhao-bravo and linhas Brasil, as well as facheiro (Pilosocereus Pachycladus) are all part of this diet. The acai palm (Acaia olive) and mofumbo (Combretum léprosum) fruits are also edible.

Like all parrots, Spix's Macaws are social birds that bond closely with their parents. They are extremely vocal and often imitate human speech and other sounds. They have a mating cry called "whichaka," described as an extremely short and repetitive sound similar to a flutist note. They are often seen flying fast and high when they are in the mood to breed.

Breeding

Spix's macaws are extremely intelligent and highly social birds. They communicate with each other by making a variety 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 they can macaws be pets recognize members of their family. This is what makes them so popular pets and targets for illegal trade in birds.

In the early 1980s, only three Spix's macaws survived in the wild, all of them being poached. A plan to pair the male and female unsuccessful in 1995 when poachers killed both birds. Since then all known Spix's macaws are captive-bred mostly in Brazil.

The few Spix's macaws that are in captivity are made up of individuals who are descendants of just two individuals, which makes them at risk of disease and other environmental challenges. The majority of the birds that are in captivity are housed at an 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 return the birds and then reintroduce them back into the wild.

Despite their petty numbers, captive-bred Spix’s macaws show some signs of improvement. This was evident when a Swiss breeder was able to beat out a sheikh in Qatar to buy from a collector three Spix's macaws which were not part of the breeding program.

As a result of this and other efforts, the captive-bred birds are beginning reproduce, but not at a rapid rate. Reintroducing them to the wild will require that they remain healthy and produce. It is important to choose the correct birds before release. The macaws should be reproductive and paired with siblings or close relatives.

It's not easy to bring the Spix's chestnut fronted macaw for sale back into the wild, however, it is essential to try. ABC and its partners have created reserves to protect the last remaining habitats of this species. The eight Spix's macaws that were released recently will be joined by the Blue macaw price-winged Macaws. These macaws are more prevalent in Caatinga and are found in areas where the Spix’s macaws also reside. These intelligent birds will aid the macaws get familiar with the area, and they will provide security in large numbers.