Melody Blue Spix Macaw

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

The first obstacle was obtaining enough birds for the trade. Macaws are monogamous, therefore the pairs had to be matched well.

Range

A South African couple has taken on the task of saving the critically endangered Spix's Macaw. This bird was declared extinct by the United Nations in 2000 because of decades of habitat destruction and poaching. They have a tiny population of the birds in captivity and they hope to release them in the wild near Curaca. They call them their little blue companions and have compared their journey to the story of Presley, the last known Spix's Buffy macaw bird for sale in the wild. They call him a true survivor, who lost his family but remained loyal to the area. They feel a strong connection to him and view their lives as like his.

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 are the glaceous macaw and hyancith macaw so alike this species has survived for this long. This also helped them create a more accurate estimate of the historic numbers of this rare bird. Researchers were able gather important details about the bird's daily movement, its seasonal adaptation to drought, as well as its eating habits. Researchers also observed attempts to reproduce with an Illiger's and a Spix's hybrid Ziggy hyacinth macaw parrots for sale couple which was a crucial step in the recovery for this species.

It was a remarkable achievement that this bird lived and thrived in the wild despite having a very small gene pool. This has helped scientists understand how these birds can be restored to the natural world. The survival of the bird that was killed encouraged people to take action to save other parrots and threatened species. This has also encouraged zoos to establish their own captive breeding program for these exotic bird species.

This working group is a great example of how conservation groups as well as other organizations and individuals can collaborate to protect endangered wildlife and animals. This group consists of Brazilian government officials, zoo reps, international holders of the Spix’s macaw and ornithologists, with an aim in common: the recovery of this endangered bird.

The group has achieved a lot of work. This includes preparing an approach to reintroduce this bird to the wild. The group has also been working to raise funds for field research, community outreach and captive-breeding birds to support the reintroduction project. 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 by habitat destruction and poaching that was illegal. Aviculturists, ornithologists, and other experts continue to fight to save this iconic bird from the brink of extinction.

The Spix's Macaw is recognizable to millions of people all over the world due to a cult animated film and two sequels. This is just the beginning on the long journey of returning these birds. For a long time, a global team has been working to breed and reintroduce captive-raised Spix's macaws into the wild.

The Spix's macaw is endemic to a small portion of northeast Brazil, called the Caatinga an arid area of flat savannah scrubland interspersed with creeks that flow through the seasons and gallery forests. It was first documented in 1819 and is among the smallest known Neotropical Parrots. There are only sporadic appearances in the wild, with a few birds in captivity and a handful of museum specimens.

To save the declining population In order to protect the declining population, an international committee was formed that brought together aviculturists that were the last to hold the birds, as well as government officials. This group formed a partnership with the world-renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) of Qatar to develop a comprehensive program to reintroduce captive-bred Spix's Macaws to their natural habitat in the northeast of Brazil.

AWWP has acquired and is recovering 2,380 hectares of prime habitat in Caatinga area, close to Curaca, Brazil. AWWP is also breeding and rearing birds that will be released into the wild, providing an incredibly pure genetic source of animals for future generations.

In the wild, Spix's macaws will live in trees, and are not often seen on the ground. They nest in tree hollows or holes and forage for fruits, seeds, nuts, and other plants. They typically spend up to one third of the day in the nest.

To aid in tracking the Spix's macaws as well as their movements local communities were recruited to join the field team. The members of the community were given watches that could be activated if the Spix's macaw was detected, allowing them to keep on top of the birds' movements and their movements throughout the wild. This method has proven successful.

Diet

The Spix's Pixie mini macaw is the only species of the Genus Cyanopsitta. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared that it was extinct in the wild on April 1st, 2019. This was following the last wild parrot vanished in 2000, and no more birds were observed in subsequent surveys. A reintroduction program is currently underway to try to bring back this critically endangered bird back to its home in the Caatinga.

The northeast region of Brazil comprises about 10% of the entire country. Spix's Macaws were found in hollows old caraibeiras and were also known to eat nuts and seeds.

A reintroduction plan is currently underway to re-establish a wild population of the Spix's Fiona hyacinth macaw bird for sale. Eight captive-raised Spix's Macaws were released in the wild in June. Twelve more birds are expected to be released in 2022. They will be joined by a group of Blue-winged macaws that have been reintroduced and will share information about food sources, nesting sites and places to roost.

The reintroduction program has collected vital biological data about the behavior of the bird, including information about daily movements and adjustments to drought. It also has provided a glimpse into the nature of the Spix's Macaws. This helps to understand the factors that led to their decline.

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

Spix's Macaws like all parrots and other birds are social birds that develop close bonds with their parents. They are very vocal and often imitate human speech and other sounds. They have a mating cry known as "whichaka," described as a short and repetitive grating noise similar to a flutist note. When they are in breeding mode they are known to fly fast and high.

Breeding

Spix's macaws are incredibly intelligent and social birds. They communicate through screeching, squawking, and other sounds. Like many parrots they can mimic human speech. They also have a rigid daily routine, ranging from flights to bathing routines and are able to recognize members of their flock. They are very popular as pets and are often targeted by the illegal trade in birds because of this.

In the early 1980s, only three Spix's macaws were left in the wild. They were all poached. A plan to pair the male and female unsuccessful in 1995 when poachers killed both birds. Since since then the Spix's macaws have been captive-bred, mostly in Brazil.

The Spix's Macaws that are in captivity are a mix that descends of only two individuals. This leaves them vulnerable to diseases and other environmental challenges. The majority of the birds in captivity are in the breeding center in Germany, but this year an agreement between the German conservation center and the Brazilian government expired without renewal and causing doubt about future plans to repatriate the birds and return them into the wild.

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

In the wake of this and other efforts, the captive-bred birds are beginning to reproduce, but not at a great rate. In order to keep them healthy and producing, it will be crucial for reintroducing these birds to the wild. Selecting the right birds for release is also crucial. The macaws should be of reproductive age and be paired up with siblings or close relatives.

Bringing the Spix's macaw back to the wild could prove difficult, but it's important to try. ABC and its partners have created a reserve system to protect the last remaining habitats of this species. The eight recently released Spix's macaws will soon be joined by blue-winged macaws, that are more common in the Caatinga and live in overlapping areas with the Spix's macaws. These birds will assist the macaws adapt to their new environment and will also provide safety by numbers.