After a long period anxiety and speculation, Brazilian and German conservationists were able to reintroduce couple couples back into their natural habitat. Their story is inspirational, but also filled with backbiting and jealousies.
The first hurdle was obtaining enough birds to participate in the exchange. The macaws are monogamous so the pairs had to be matched properly.
Range
A South African couple is working to save the critically endangered Spix's Macaw, which was declared extinct in 2000 following decades of poaching and loss of habitat. They have a small population of the birds in captivity and are hoping to release them into the wild close to Curaca. They call the birds their blue-eyed friends and have compared their journey to the story of Presley, the last known Spix's macaw from the wild. They describe Presley as a true survivor, who lost his family and remained loyal to his area. They see their lives in the Caatinga as akin to his and feel a strong connection to him.
The discovery of the last Spix's macaw provided a valuable opportunity for researchers to examine its behavior in the wild and gain a deeper understanding of how the species has survived for such a long time. Researchers were able to estimate the population of this rare bird more precisely. Researchers were able to gather important information about the bird's movements throughout the day and seasonal adaptation to drought and its food habits. They also monitored attempts at reproduction with an Illiger's and Spix's hybrid macaws, which was an important step in the rehabilitation of this species.
It was a remarkable feat that this bird managed to endure and thrive in the wild despite an insufficient gene pool and has helped researchers understand how these birds can be reintroduced back to the wild. The survival of the last bird motivated people to act to save other species of endangered parrots. This has also encouraged zoos to develop their own captive breeding program for these exotic bird species.
This group serves as an example of how conservation groups and other organizations can collaborate to save endangered species of wildlife and animals. The group is comprised of Brazilian government officials, zoo reps, international holders of the Spix’s macaw and ornithologists, with a common goal that is the recovery of this rare bird.
The working group has already completed a lot of work, including preparing an idea for reintroducing this bird to the wild. The group also raised funds for community outreach as well as field research and captive-bred birds for the project. It has also created a permanent committee to save the bird.
Habitat
Ten years ago the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta Spixii) was thought to be extinct. It was endangered through habitat destruction and poaching that was illegal. Today, ornithologists and aviculturists continue to fight 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 famous to millions of people around the world However, this is only the beginning in the long journey to save these birds from the edge. For decades, an international team has been trying to breed and reintroduce Spix's macaws that have been raised in captivity into the wild.
The Spix's Macaw is native to a tiny area of northeast Brazil, called the Caatinga, an arid region of flat savannah scrubland that is dotted with seasonal creeks and gallery forests. It was first described in 1819, and is one of the lesser-known Neotropical parrots, with occasional sightings in the wild, a few captive birds and some museum specimens.
To preserve the dwindling population, an international committee was created that gathered aviculturists who were the last to hold the birds and government officials. This group formed a collaboration with the world-renowned non profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation of Qatar to create an initiative to reintroduce the Spix's Macaws to their natural habitat.
AWWP has purchased and is renovating 2,380 acres of prime habitat in the Caatinga area, close to Curaca, Brazil. AWWP is also raising and breeding birds to be released into the wild, providing an incredibly pure genetic source of the animals for the next generation of.
In the wild, Spix's macaws are found in trees and are rarely seen on the ground. They build nests in hollows or holes, and hunt to find seeds, fruits, nuts, and other species. They can spend as much as one third of their day in the nest.
A local community was enlisted as part of the field team to help to track Spix's macaws. The community was given watches that would turn on when a Spix's Macaw is recognized. This enabled them to monitor the birds in the wild as well as their daily movements. This approach has been very successful.
Diet
The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only species in the genus Cyanopsitta. It was declared extinct in the wild in the year 2019 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature after the last wild parrot disappeared in the year 2000. subsequent surveys did not find any additional birds. However, a reintroduction project currently underway is trying to return this critically endangered bird to its natural habitat in Caatinga.
This dry forest is located in the region of northeast Brazil that covers about 10 percent of the country. Spix's Macaws nestled in the hollows of old caraibeiras, and they were also known to feed on seeds and nuts.
A reintroduction programme is in progress to restore a wild population of the Spix's Macaw. Eight captive-raised birds were released into the wild in June and 12 more are scheduled to arrive in 2022. They will be joined by a group Blue-winged Macaws who were reintroduced. They will share information about food sources, nesting sites and areas to roost.
The reintroduction program has collected vital biological data about the behavior of this rare bird, which includes details about daily movements patterns as well as the seasonal changes to drought. It also has opened a window on the evolution of the Macaws of Spix, which can help to understand the causes that led to their decline.
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). They also eat the fruit of palms of acai (Acaia oliva) or mofumbo (Combretum leprosum).
Spix's Macaws like all parrots and other birds are social birds that develop close bonds with their parents. They have vocalizations and often mimic other sounds and words. They make a mating call called the "whichaka," which is described as a brief repeated grating sound that is similar to a flute note. They are known to fly high and fast when they are in an ecstatic mood.
Breeding
Spix's macaws are exceptionally intelligent and social birds. They communicate with each other through a range of screeching and squawking sounds. They, like other parrots, mimic human speech. They also have a strict daily routine, from flight paths to bathing habits, and they can recognize members of their flock. They are very popular as pets and are often targeted by the illegal trade in birds because of this.
By the early 1980s, only three Spix's Macaws were left in the wild, and all of them poached. In 1995, poachers massacred the male and female birds in the hope of pairing them. Since since then, all Spix's Macaws are captive-bred, mostly in Brazil.
The handful of Spix's macaws in captivity are a mixture of individuals that are the descendants of only two individuals, which makes them susceptible to illness and other environmental issues. 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 and causing doubt about future plans to return the birds and reintroduce them into the wild.
Despite their shaky numbers, captive-bred Spix's macaws show signs of improvement. This was evident when a Swiss breeder beat a sheikh from Qatar to purchase 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 to reproduce, though not at a high rate. Keeping them healthy and producing is crucial to reintroduce the birds back into the wild. It is crucial to select the correct birds before releasing them. Macaws must be of reproductive age and be paired up with close relatives or siblings.
It may be difficult to get the Spix's Macaw back into the wild but it's important to try. To help, ABC and partners have established a reserve system that is designed to safeguard the last remaining habitats. The eight Spix's Macaws who were recently released will be joined by blue-winged Macaws. These macaws are more prevalent in Caatinga and live in areas where the Spix’s macaws also live. These birds will help the macaws become accustomed to their new surroundings. They will also offer protection by large numbers.