Spix's Macaw

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Spix's Macaw
Conservation status
Critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae Subfamily: Psittacinae Tribe: Arini Genus: Cyanopsitta Bonaparte, 1854 Species: C. spixii
Binomial name
Cyanopsitta spixii (Wagler, 1832)

The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only member of the parrot genus Cyanopsitta. This macaw is currently believed to be extinct in the wild, but 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 the Caraibeira (Tabebuia caraiba) tree for nesting.

Contents 1 Physical description 2 History 3 Threats and conservation activities 4 Current captive population 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

[edit] Physical description

Various shades of blue, including a pale blue head, dark blue wings and tail. The underside of the wings and tail is black. They have a bare area of grey/black facial skin which sometimes fades to white and is white when they are juveniles. Beak is entirely black except in juveniles which have a neat white stripe down the centre of the beak. The white beak stripe and facial skin off juveniles disappears after 1-2 years. Feet are light grey as juveniles before finishing up dark grey, almost black when adults. The eyes are dark as juveniles but fade to white as the birds mature.^[2]

[edit] History

Historical Perspective & Conservation Status:

The Spix’s Macaw may not be the largest or most colorful macaw species but it is the most critically endangered parrot in the world with no known wild specimens remaining (IUCN, 2004). The species was feared to be possibly extinct in the wild in the early 1980’s, until it was rediscovered in 1985, when just 5 birds, including two pairs, were located in the north of Bahia. Trappers had been active in this area for many years, removing at least 23 birds and likely many more. Sadly, by 1988 it appeared the last 5 birds; including the only three wild birds to be studied by biologists, had been removed. However, in 1990 an exhaustive survey of the area resulted in the discovery of a single wild survivor. This sole surviving bird was later determined by means of DNA analysis of a feather as being a male. The Brazilian Authorities eventually located a wild caught female Spix’s Macaw at a private breeding facility which they had good reason to believe was formerly the breeding companion of the wild male. Thankfully the owner of the bird was willing to cooperate in a bid to return her to the wild. A release aviary was constructed on Concordia Farm in Curaca with money generously donated by the Loro Parque Foundation. In 1994 the female was introduced to the large aviary where before release she was reacquainted with natural foods and allowed to gain much needed flight strength and fitness as it had now been at least six years since she was poached from the wild. After being released in 1995 her fitness quickly improved and her adjustment to life back in the wild was going very well. She was spending less time near the release aviary and her reliance on supplementary feeding was gradually reducing. She had been observed on numerous occasions flying and socializing with the wild male but unfortunately after two and a half months of repatriation she disappeared never to be seen again. It was later reported from a local ranch-hand that he had found the carcass of the bird directly below power lines. The local Rangehand said the reason why he did not come forward immediately with the knowledge of how the female died was because he feared the news would spell the end of the Spix’s Macaw recovery program in the region, as he thought that the bird that he supposedly found dead was the wild male. He felt that if the field biologist thought that there was a chance she was still alive but living in an unknown area, that this would ensure the continuation of the project. The project did continue but no more birds were released. The one remaining bird was last seen on October 5th 2000 and is thought to have died of natural causes as by this stage he was in excess of 20 years old. The species is therefore considered to be extinct in the wild but cannot be classified as extinct until all areas of potential habitat have been thoroughly surveyed.^[2]

The Spix's Macaw is named after the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who discovered the species in 1817.^[3] The decline of the species is attributed to hunting and trapping of the birds, destruction of its habitat, and the introduction of the Africanized bee, which competes for nesting sites and killed breeding individuals at the nest. The last three birds were captured for trade in 1987 and 1988. A single male, paired with a female Blue-winged Macaw, was discovered at the site in 1990. A female Spix's Macaw released from captivity at the site in 1995 disappeared after seven weeks. The last wild male died at the site in October 2000.^[4] The species probably became extinct in the wild around 2000, when the last known wild bird died. ^[4]

[edit] Threats and conservation activities

While trapping is recognized as the main cause of the species decline, the other significant factor was the alteration and destruction of the regions Caraibeira Riparian Woodland habitat. In 1990, the Brazilian Nature Conservation Authority established a permanent committee for the recovery of the Critically Endangered Spix’s Macaw. This committee included three private holders of captive Spix’s Macaws from outside of Brazil, as well as Brazilian officials, zoo representatives and biologists. The objective of the committee is to coordinate the activities of all the persons/institutions involved in conserving the species. The committee was dissolved in 2002 due to irreconcilable differences between the parties involved. In 2004 a committee was re-formed and re-structured under the title of “The Working Group for the Recovery of the Spix’s Macaw”.^[2]

[edit] Current captive population

Currently there are approximately 120 individual Spix’s Macaws in captivity. 78 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. 50 of these are managed at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), State of Qatar, where a captive breeding program is guiding the Spix’s Macaw a step closer to re-establishment back to its natural habitat in Brazil.

Institutions	Males	Females	Unknown	Total
Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), Qatar, Persian Gulf, Middle East.	21	29	0	50
Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP), Berlin, Germany.	7	5	2	14
Loro Parque Foundation (LPF), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.	1	5	0	6
Lymington Foundation (LF) São Paulo, Brazil.	3	2	0	5
São Paulo Zoo (SPZ), São Paulo, Brazil.	2	1	0	3
Total	34	42	2	78

In the last 3 years; 16 Spix’s Macaws have been bred at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation, 4 at Loro Parque and 2 at ACTP. All chicks bred at AWWP have been hand-reared by experienced staff, since it is considered a safer option than parent-rearing and the priority at the moment is to increase the population. When the captive population is considered more secure, breeding pairs will be given the opportunity to raise some of their own young. All Spix’s Macaw chicks bred are required to be close leg banded with a uniquely coded ring and at the time of their first health check, they are also to be implanted with a micro-chip transponder.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Juniper, Tony (2003) Spix's Macaw : The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird ISBN 0-7434-7550-X

[edit] External links

• http://www.spixmacaw.com/ Summary of the history of the spix macaw
• ARKive Photos, Videos, Information.
• Animal diversity web
• Photograph of 2 Spix's macaws on the Loro Parque website
• http://awwp.alwabra.com/ Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation
• Spix's macaws at Al Wabra- A gulf Times article