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Melody Blue Spix Macaw
After a long time filled with uncertainty and fear, Brazilians and German conservationists were able successfully reintroduce a grouping of couples back into their natural habitat. Their story is inspiring but also rife with jealousies and backbiting.
The first challenge was obtaining enough birds for the trade. Macaws are monogamous, therefore the pairs had to be well-matched.
Range
A South African couple has taken on the mission of saving the critically endangered Spix’s Macaw. The bird was declared extinct by United Nations in 2000 due to decades of habitat destruction and poaching. They have a small number of the birds that are in captivity and hope to release them near Curaca. They call them their little blue macaw bird price companions 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 but kept his faith in his region. They believe that their lives in Caatinga as akin to his, and they feel a deep connection with him.
Researchers were able study the behavior of the Spix’s Macaw in wild, and to better understand the reasons why this species has survived for so long. It also helped them create a more accurate estimate of the historic population numbers of this unique bird. Researchers were able gather crucial information on the bird’s daily movements, seasonal adjustment to drought and its food habits. They also observed attempts to reproduce using the hybrid Illiger’s and Spix’s Macaw bird health pair, which was an important step in the recovery of this species.
It was a remarkable accomplishment that this bird was able endure and thrive in the wild despite a limited gene pool, and it has also helped scientists to understand how these birds can be reintroduced back to the wild. The survival of the last bird also inspired people to take action to save other parrots and endangered species. This has also encouraged zoos to create their own captive breeding programs for these exotic species of birds.
This working group is a great example of how conservation groups, other organizations and individuals can collaborate to protect endangered species of wildlife and animals. It brings Brazilian officials from the government Zoo representatives, international holders of this unique bird and ornithologists with a common goal – the reintroduction of the Spix’s macaw.
The group has already completed a great deal of work. This includes developing an approach to reintroduce this bird to the wild. The group also raised funds to fund community outreach as well as field research and captive-bred birds for the 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 threatened due to the destruction of habitats and illegal poaching. Today, ornithologists and aviculturists continue to fight tirelessly to bring this iconic bird back from the edge of extinction.
The Spix’s Macaw is known to millions around the world thanks to a cult animated film and two sequels. But this is only the beginning on the long journey of bringing these birds back. For decades, an international team has been trying to breed and reintroduce captive-raised Spix’s macaws into the wild.
The Spix’s chestnut-fronted macaw price is endemic to a tiny area of northeast Brazil which is known as the Caatinga an arid area consisting of savannah scrubland flat scattered with seasonal creeks and gallery forests. It was first documented in 1819 and is one of the smallest known Neotropical parrots, with occasional sightings in the wild, a few captive birds and a few museum specimens.
To save the declining population, an international group was created. It was comprised of Aviculturists who owned the last remaining bird and officials from the government. This group formed a partnership with the world-renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) of Qatar to create an intensive program to reintroduce captive-bred Spix’s Macaws into their natural habitat in northeast Brazil.
AWWP has bought and is recovering 2,380 acres of prime habitat in Caatinga, near Curaca, Brazil. AWWP is also breeding and rearing birds to be released into the wild, thereby providing an incredibly pure genetic source of animals for future generations.
In the wild, Spix’s Macaws are found in trees and are rarely seen on the ground. They nest in tree hollows or holes and forage to find seeds, fruits, nuts, and various other plants. They can spend up to 1/3 of their time in the nest.
A local community was enlisted as part of the field team in order to help to track Spix’s macaws. The members of the community were given watches that could be activated if the Spix’s Macaw was detected and thereby allowing them to keep on top of the birds’ movements and their movements throughout the wild. This approach has proven very successful.
Diet
The Spix’s 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 1, 2019. This was following the last wild parrot was lost in 2000 and no additional birds were observed in subsequent surveys. A reintroduction program is in progress to try to restore this critically threatened bird to its native home in the Caatinga.
The northeast region of Brazil comprises about 10% of the country. Spix’s Macaws were a nesting species in the hollows of old caraibeira trees and were known to eat nuts and seeds.
A reintroduction plan is currently underway to re-establish 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 Blue-winged Macaws that have been released back into the same area and will assist to share information about food sources, nesting and roosting areas.
The reintroduction programme has already collected vital biological data about the behavior of this rare bird, which includes details about daily movement patterns and adjustments to drought during the season. It also provides a window into the natural history of the Spix’s Macaw and helped to better understand what led to its extinction in the wild.
Spix’s Macaws eat the seeds, fruits and nuts of many plants native to the Caatinga biome. This includes the pinhao-bravo (Jatropha mollissima) and linhas Brasil (Senegalia tenuifolia), along with 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 like all parrots Macaws are highly social birds, and they have a close bond with their parents. They are very vocal and often mimic human speech and other sounds. They make a mating call called the “whichaka,” which is described as a brief continuous grating sound like a flute note. They are well-known for flying high and fast when they are in the mood to breed.
Breeding
Spix’s Macaws are extremely intelligent and social birds. They communicate with each other with a variety of squawking and screeching sounds. Like many other parrots, they can mimic human speech. They also adhere to a strict routine for their day, from the flight path to bathing habits and where can i buy a macaw identify members of their family. This is what makes them such popular pets, and also a target for illegal bird trade.
By the early 1980s, only three Spix’s macaws survived in the wild, all of them being poached. A plan to pair the last male and female was foiled 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 that are the descendants of just two individuals, making them vulnerable to disease and other environmental threats. The majority of the birds that are in captivity are in the breeding center in Germany however, 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 then reintroduce them back into the wild.
Despite their precarious numbers, captive-bred Spix’s macaws are showing signs of improvement. This was evident when the Swiss breeder beat the sheikh of Qatar to purchase three Spix’s Macaws for the collector.
As a result of this and other efforts, captive-bred birds are starting to reproduce, but not at a high rate. Reintroducing them to the wild will require that they remain healthy and produce. Choosing the right birds for release is equally important. Macaws must be of reproductive age and be paired up with siblings or close relatives.
The return of the Spix’s Macaw to the wild could be difficult, but it is crucial to try. ABC and its partners have created reserves to protect the last remaining habitats of this species. The eight recently released Spix’s macaws are going to be joined by blue-winged macaws that are more common in the Caatinga and live in overlapping areas with Spix’s macaws. These savvy birds will help the macaws get used to the region and provide the security of a large number.
