Spix's Macaw - BirdForum Opus

The species Spix's Macaw is extinct in the wild.

Artwork © by chico

Alternative Name(s): Little Blue Macaw

Cyanopsitta spixii

Identification

Blue-grey with long tail and wings. It has a pale ashy-blue head, square shaped, and pale blue underparts. Its upperparts, wings and long tail are a more vivid blue. Underside of the open wing is black.

Distribution

Extinct in the wild due to a combination of habitat change and capture for the pet trade. A project for captive breeding with the long term goal of reintroducing the species into the wild consists of 78 birds; the total number of birds currently alive may go as high as 120.

This species is classed as extinct in the wild. However, re-introductions are being attempted. See this thread posted in November 2023: https://www.birdforum.net/threads/spixs-macaw-breeds-in-the-wild-again.447948/#post-4555012

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Was limited to Caraiba gallery forest along the São Francisco river in an otherwise arid part of Brazil.

Behaviour

Diet

Food consisted of fruits from several different local trees. Nesting took place in natural holes in trees and could produce up to two nestlings.

Reference

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. A fact sheet about Spix's Macaw from Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation

External Links

Search for photos of Spix's Macaw in the gallery

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