What's The Ugly The Truth About Melody Blue Spix Macaw

What's The Ugly The Truth About Melody Blue Spix Macaw

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Melody Blue Spix Macaw

After a long period of anxiety and speculation, Brazilian and German conservationists were able to reintroduce a group of couples into their natural habitat. Their story is inspiring, but also filled with backbiting and jealousies.

The first obstacle was obtaining enough birds for the trade. The macaws were monogamous, therefore it was important to ensure that the pairs were well-matched.

Range

A South African couple has taken on the task of saving the critically threatened Spix's Macaw. The bird was declared extinct by United Nations in 2000 because of decades of habitat destruction and poaching. They have a few of the birds that are in captivity and are hoping to release them close to Curaca. They call the birds their little blue friends and have compared their journey to the story of Presley, the last known Spix's macaw in the wild. They call him as a true survivor, who lost his family, but remained loyal to the area. They consider their lives in the Caatinga as being similar to his and feel a strong affinity with him.

Researchers were able to research the behavior of the Spix's Macaw in wild, and to better understand the reasons why this species has survived so long. This allowed researchers to determine the historical population of this rare bird with greater accuracy. Researchers were able to gather crucial information on the bird's daily movements and its seasonal adaptation to drought and its food habits. They even monitored attempts to reproduce using an Illiger's and Spix's hybrid macaw pair which was a significant step towards the recovery of this species.

It was a marvellous feat that this bird survived and thrived in the wild despite having a very small gene pool. This has enabled scientists understand how these birds can be reintroduced back to the wild. The survival of the last bird also inspired people to take action in order to save other parrots and endangered species. Zoos and other groups to set up their own captive breeding programs for these exotic birds.

This working group is a good illustration of how conservation groups as well as other organizations and individuals can work together to save endangered species of wildlife and animals. It brings Brazilian officials from the government as well as representatives from zoos, international holders of this rare bird and ornithologists together with one common goal - the reintroduction of the Spix's Macaw.

The working group has already achieved a lot of work. This includes preparing a plan to reintroduce the bird back to the wild. The group has also worked to raise funds for field research as well as community outreach and captive-breeding birds to support the reintroduction plan. The group has also set up an ongoing committee to oversee the rehabilitation of the bird.

Habitat

Ten years ago the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta Spixii) was believed to be extinct. It was endangered through habitat destruction and poaching that was illegal. Today, ornithologists and aviculturists continue to work tirelessly to bring this iconic bird back from the brink of extinction.

A popular animated movie and two sequels have made the Spix's Macaw known to millions of people across the globe However, this is only the beginning in the long road to save these birds from the brink. For decades, an international team has been working to breed and reintroduce Spix's macaws that have been raised in captivity into the wild.

The Spix's macaw is endemic to a small portion of northeast Brazil which is known as the Caatinga which is an arid region consisting of savannah scrubland flat scattered with seasonal creeks and gallery forests. It was first documented in 1819, and is one of least-known Neotropical Parrots. There are only sporadic glimpses of the wild, a few birds that are kept in captivity, and a handful of museum specimens.

To preserve the declining population In order to save the declining population, an international group was established. It brought together experts in aviculture who had the last remaining bird and government officials. The group formed a partnership with the world-renowned non-profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation of Qatar to create an initiative to restore the population of Spix's Macaws in their native habitat.

AWWP has purchased and is recovering 2,380 hectares of Caatinga close to Curaca (Brazil) of the most pristine habitat. AWWP is also raising and breeding birds to be released into the wild, thereby providing the genetically pure source of animals for future generations.

In the wild, Spix's macaws reside in trees and are rarely seen on the ground. They nest in tree hollows or holes and search to find seeds, fruits, nuts, and other plants. They typically spend up to one third of the day in the nest.

To assist in tracking the Spix's macaws and their movements, a local group was invited to join the field great green macaw team. The members of the community were given watches which could be activated if the Spix's macaw was detected which allowed them to keep on top of the birds' movements and their daily movements in the wild. This approach has been very successful.

Diet

The Spix's Macaw is the only species belonging to the Genus Cyanopsitta. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared that it was extinct in the wild on April 1st, 2019. This was after the last wild parrot was lost in 2000, and no more birds were observed in subsequent surveys. A reintroduction programme is in the process of attempting to restore this critically threatened bird to its native home in the Caatinga.

The northeast region of Brazil is home to about 10% of the entire country. Spix's Macaws nested in the hollows of the old caraibeira trees and were known to feed on seeds and nuts.

A reintroduction programme is underway to establish a natural population of the Spix's Macaw. Eight captive-raised birds were released into the wild in June and 12 more are scheduled to follow in 2022. They will be joined by a group of Blue-winged Macaws. They have been released back into the same area, and will help to share knowledge of food sources and nesting and roosting locations.

The reintroduction programme has already obtained valuable biological data on the behavior of this bird, which includes details of daily movements and adjustments to drought. It also has provided a glimpse into the evolution of Spix's Macaws, which can help to understand the causes that led to their extinction.

Spix's Macaws consume the seeds, fruits and nuts of many species native to the Caatinga biome. This includes the pinhao-bravo (Jatropha mollissima) and the 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.

Spix's Macaws like all parrots and other bird species, are social birds that develop close bonds with their parents. They have vocalizations and often mimic sounds and speech. They have a mating cry known as "whichaka," described as an extremely short and repetitive noise similar to a flutist note. When they are in breeding mode they can fly fast and high.

Breeding

Spix's Macaws are highly intelligent and social birds. They communicate through screeching, squawking and other sounds. Like many parrots, they can mimic human speech. They also follow a very rigid daily routine, ranging from the flight path to bathing habits and can identify the members of their flock. This is why they are the most sought-after pets and a target for illegal bird trade.

In the early 1980s only three Spix's macaws remained in the wild, and all of them being poached. A plan to pair the male and female foiled in 1995, when poachers killed both birds. Since since then, all known Spix's macaws are captive-bred, mostly in Brazil.

The handful of Spix's macaws kept in captivity are made up of individuals who are the descendants of just two individuals, leaving them vulnerable to disease and other environmental threats. The majority of Spix's macaws captivity live at an breeding center in Germany. However, this year an agreement between the German conservation center and Brazilian government ran out and future plans for repatriation and reintroduction into the wild in doubt.

Despite their low numbers of captive-bred Spix's macaws, captive-bred species show some signs of improvement. This was evident when a Swiss breeder was able to beat a sheikh in Qatar to purchase from the collector three Spix's macaws which weren't part of the breeding program.

In part, due to this and other efforts the captive-bred bird population is starting to increase, though not at a speedy pace. Reintroducing the birds into the wild will require that they stay healthy and produce. It is essential to choose the right birds before release. Macaws should be reproductively mature and should be paired with an older sibling or close relative.

Reintroducing the Spix's macaw to the wild could prove difficult, but it's crucial to try. To help, ABC and partners have created a reserve system which will help to protect the last remaining habitats. The eight Spix's macaws will be joined by blue-winged macaws, that are more common in the Caatinga and share areas with Spix's macaws. These smart birds will help macaws to become accustomed to the region and provide safety in numbers.