{"id":19198,"date":"2022-08-02T15:09:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T13:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=65260"},"modified":"2022-08-02T15:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T13:17:14","slug":"extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"Extinct parrot from Rio makes a comeback in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Simon Birch\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 02 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Spix\u2019s macaw has been returned to live freely in its native Brazil having been extinct in the wild thanks to a remarkable and pioneering international conservation effort.<\/p>\n

The parrot\u2019s predicament was highlighted in the 2011 animated film Rio<\/em>, which told the story of a caged Spix\u2019s macaw named Blue. The film was not only a box-office hit but also provided the impetus to bring the parrot back to the wild.<\/p>\n

Please note external videos may contain ads.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\nNamed after the German naturalist <a href=\"\/\/www.sil.si.edu\/DigitalCollections\/nhrarebooks\/spix\/spix-introduction.htm"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix<\/a> who first collected a specimen in 1819, the South American parrot\u2019s plight began when its homeland in north-east Brazil was destroyed by overgrazing and clearing.<\/p>\nIts fate was then sealed by the unfortunate fact that its distinctive blue plumage proved to be irresistible to global bird collectors with the result that by the turn of the millennium, Spix\u2019s macaw was declared extinct in the wild.<\/p>\nAround two dozen Spix\u2019s macaws were being held in private collections around the world and these caged birds enabled an ambitious captive-breeding programme to be initiated.<\/p>\nNow eight Spix\u2019s macaws have finally been successfully released back into the wild in Brazil.<\/p>\n\u201cThus far, all of the released birds are alive, staying together as a flock, and flying and foraging in the release area,\u201d says Tom White from the <a href=\"\/\/www.fws.gov"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">US Fish and Wildlife Service<\/a> who is a technical adviser to the project. \u201cThe programme is going as well as it possibly could at this point.\u201d<\/p>\nOne of the most challenging aspects of the project was that captive-breeding had reduced the birds\u2019 instinctive survival skills.<\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=298%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=298%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=353%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=353%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=402%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=402%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=552%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=552%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=618%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=405%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=405%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=553%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=553%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-65264\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/ReleaseUpDates-11Spixs-macaws-released-into-the-wild-in-June-2022credit-Association-for-the-Conservation-of-Threatened-Parrots-c5ab07f.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\""caption-hold"\"><figcaption class=\""wp-caption-text"\"> On 11th June 2022, the first eight Spix\u2019s macaws were released into the\u00a0Brazilian Caatinga. \u00a9\u00a0Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nTo remedy this, the programme used a pioneering approach by releasing eight wild Illiger\u2019s macaws along with the Spix\u2019s macaws to act as trainers.<\/p>\n\u201cThis provided the environmentally na\u00efve Spix\u2019s macaws with well-adapted \u2018mentors\u2019 who could show them where to find native food and alert them to potential predators,\u201d explains White.<\/p>\nThis is one of the first times that a \u2018mixed species flock\u2019 strategy has been used and its success means that it could be applied to other reintroductions facing similar challenges.<\/p>\nAll the released birds are of reproductive age and it\u2019s hoped that they will start breeding next year.<\/p> Main image:\u00a0Spix\u2019s macaw (<\/em>Cyanopsitta spixii) is a species of parrot that has been extinct in the wild for over 20 years. \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.act-parrots.org\/?lang=en"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP)<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Simon Birch Published: Tuesday, 02 August 2022 at 12:00 am Spix\u2019s macaw has been returned to live freely in its native Brazil having been extinct in the wild thanks to a remarkable and pioneering international conservation effort. The parrot\u2019s predicament was highlighted in the 2011 animated film Rio, which told the story of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19199,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil.jpg",1535,1063,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil-300x208.jpg",300,208,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil-768x532.jpg",768,532,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil-1024x709.jpg",800,554,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil.jpg",1535,1063,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/08\/extinct-parrot-from-rio-makes-a-comeback-in-brazil.jpg",1535,1063,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Simon Birch Published: Tuesday, 02 August 2022 at 12:00 am Spix\u2019s macaw has been returned to live freely in its native Brazil having been extinct in the wild thanks to a remarkable and pioneering international conservation effort. The parrot\u2019s predicament was highlighted in the 2011 animated film Rio, which told the story of a…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/19198"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}