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Spix&#039;s macaw juveniles


Spix's Macaw
Background information
Taxonomy Birds
Status Considered as Extinct in the Wild (in Brazil)
Globally classified as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild) (IUCN 3.1)
Range Endemic to Brazil
Habitat Caatinga
Feathers, fur Cerulean Body
Pale Blue Head
Gray Beak

Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only member of the parrot genus Cyanopsitta. Their current conservation status is critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild (IUCN 3.1) [1] The species is conserved through several breeding programs. It was found in Brazil, in parts of the Brazilian state of Bahia. It has a very restricted natural habitat due to its dependence on Carabeira (Tabebuia aurea) trees for nesting. In the 2011 animated movie, Rio, the main characters Blu and Jewel are the last pair of Spix's Macaws in the world. The movie even references their extinct-in-the-wild status. Although it refers to the species as Blue Macaws (instead of Spix's Macaw), the taxonomy is confirmed by Tulio who mentions their Latin name (Cyanopsitta spixii). People believed that there are only two left in the world, that's Jewel and Blu.

Later in the 1st sneak peek of Rio 2, it has been revealed that Jewel's relatives, including three new featured Spix's Macaw characters Roberto (Jewel's childhood friend), Mimi (Jewel's aunt) and the Spix's Macaw Tribe's leader Eduardo (Jewel's father), are hiding in the Amazon Rainforest, persisting under external threats.


Spix's Macaws are 55–57 centimeters (21.5–23.5 inches) long. Their body colors consist of various shades of blue, including a pale blue head, pale blue underparts, and vivid blue upperparts, wings, and tail. The underside of the wings and tail are black. They have a bare area of grey/black facial skin which sometimes fades to white when they are juveniles. The beak is entirely black except for juveniles which have a white stripe down the center of the beak. The white beak stripe and facial skin of juveniles disappear after 1–2 years. The birds' feet are light grey as juveniles, then become dark grey, and are almost black as adults. Their eyes are dark as juveniles but fade to white as the birds mature.


Its voice is a strong and clear cra-á cra-á cra-á [2].


Although the movie shows a flock inhabiting the Amazon, their natural habitat, in reality, is actually the Caatinga in the state of Bahia, north-eastern Brazil. The Caatinga is filled with desert vegetation like small, thorny trees and cacti. Since the Caatinga is not completely explored, it is believed that there could be Spix Macaws alive in the wild. They are believed to have inhabited only this biome.


As of 2010, there are approximately 85 Spix’s Macaws in captivity. Seventy-three of these are participating in an international breeding program managed by the Institute Chico Mendes of Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Natural Heritage Branch of the Brazilian Government. Fifty-six of these are managed at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), the State of Qatar, which took over the population of Birds International and where a captive breeding program is guiding the Spix’s Macaw a step closer to re-establishment back to its natural habitat in Brazil. In 2002, a spix's macaw named Persley was taken from a home to the Sao Paulo Zoo. Tragically though, he died in 2014, producing no offspring, and no more wild genetic Spix's macaws exist anymore. 


In June 2018, the population of the species numbers 158 individuals. In the same year, an agreement signed between the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil and conservation organizations of Belgium (Pairi Daiza Foundation) and Germany (Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots) established the "repatriation" of 50 Spix's macaws back to Brazil. It is expected that the animals will be in the national territory in the first quarter of 2019. The Spix's Macaw is expected to be reintroduced into nature by 2021. [3]

The project of the reintroduction of the Spix's Macaw in Brazil included the creation of two protected areas in the state of Bahia: the Wildlife Refuge of Spix's Macaw, in Curaçá, and the Environmental Protection Area of the Spix's Macaw, in Juazeiro, with an awareness work done with the local population and the construction of a reproduction and readaptation center.

By September 5, 2018, the Spix's Macaw has been officially reclassified as "Extinct In The Wild" [4] in Brazil, according to new research done by BirdLife International, uplisting its former status as "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct In The Wild)". The remaining headcount of Spix's Macaws is estimated to be 60-80 in captivity [5]. However, another headcount made by the Association of the Conservation of Threatened Parrots, also known as ACTP e.V., suggests that approximately 128 individuals of the Spix's Macaw remain [6] in 2016.

In 2001, the last known picture showing a wild Spix's Macaw near a forest was taken and was thought to be a male that a conservation group released into the wild in the previous year. Since then, the bird hasn't been seen.

In March 2019, 50 Spix's Macaws were transferred from ACTP's breeding facilities in Germany to a new dedicated facility in Curaça, Brazil, which is a crucial step towards their reintroduction into the wild. [7]


  • The Spix's Macaw's genus, Cyanopsitta, is derived from ancient Greek.
    • Cyano is derived from the Greek word "kuanos", meaning "blue".
    • Psitta is derived from the Greek word "psittakos", meaning "parrot"
  • "Spixii" is Greek for "of Spix", the discoverer of the Spix's Macaw (hence it's name).
    • In general, Cyanopsitta spixii means "blue parrot of Spix".

Conservation Efforts

Daniel Neumann performing artificial insemination in a Spix’s macaw at AWWP.

Daniel Neumann performing artificial insemination in a Spix’s macaw at AWWP




As soon as a female laid her first egg, the team took sperm from a male and immediately deposited it by a micro-capillary tube into the oviduct of the female Spix hoping to fertilize the next egg to be laid before the eggshell would be formed.

"This process was repeated after the second and third eggs were laid as Spix's Macaws are known to often lay four eggs in a clutch,” Dr. Tim Bouts, director of AWWP told Gulf Times. After seven days the eggs were candled to see if they were fertile. Two - out of the seven artificially inseminated - proved to be fertile and developed well in the incubator.



The blue macaw co-coordinator in AWWP, Dr. Cromwell Purchase, said: “Since we know that artificial insemination is possible in this species, we have a lot more possibilities for breeding as we can use different males and females to make up the best possible genetic combinations.”

The next step will be to perform artificial insemination in Spix’s macaws already in Brazil and to set up an AWWP breeding facility inside Brazil. Dr. Bouts pointed out that currently, AWWP manages 10 out of 11 Spix’s macaws owned by the Brazilian government in NEST, a private breeding facility in Sao Paulo State.


AWWP spends over 1 million Qatar Rials annually for Spix’s Macaws' conservation in Qatar and Brazil.

Conservation on Tenerife Island


The location of the facility of Spix's Macaw rehabilitation on Tenerife Island, Spain is classified to the public and media. However, the macaws are also put on display at Loro Parque Theme Park. Its Wikipedia page is accessible here.

External Links


Real Life


Recently, a lone Spix's Macaw was spotted in Brazil and rediscovered flying in a tree. The discovery was made by a 16-year old girl named Damylis, after her grandfather, Pinpin Oliveria died at 94.[8]




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