Before I take leave of Rio de Janeiro, I want to tell you the story of a photographer’s search for the last blue-gray parrot known as the Spix’s Macaw in the wilds of Brazil. Sadly, this species is now extinct (more on this later) but back in 2000 a nature photographer roamed the rainforests in search for this beautiful bird. First, some background:
The Spix’s Macaw is a rare bird that was first described in the early 19th century. Its last known habitat was in northeastern Bahia. Brazil:
Sadly, this little bird was mercilessly hunted and traded illegally to be sold as pets. Its habitat, the dry Caatinga forests were overrun by invasive African bees that took over nest cavities, further endangering the birds. In addition, agricultural growth depleted the wild lands. The species was considered extinct in the wild for the first time in 1989.
In January 1990 a wildlife photographer sent a fax to the International Council for Bird Preservation. Despite the supposed extinction of the species, the photographer had heard rumors of a wild Spix’s Macaw. The ICBP decided to finance a new expedition for the photographer and a number of ornithologists. Here is a description by one of the ornithologists on the day after their arrival in the forest;
We began to hear the macaw, as if it was the voice of a ghost. From the sound, we knew it was him. The cry grew louder, then louder still. Finally, the source of it came into view. Its blue plumage was visible in the first proper daylight. With a pale head, a distinctively long tail, and deep wing beats, there was no doubt what it was. We had found a Spix’s Macaw.
The picture at the top of this post is that very last wild Spix’s Macaw. The photographer was Luis Claudio Marigo – Vitor’s father.🧓
Today, conversation foundations are working together to reintroduce the Spix’s Macaw into the wild using captive birds in a breeding program. So far, the efforts of rewilding this parrot have not been successful, but the breeding programs continue. Here is a pic of one of the captive birds that helped to begin the breeding program:
If this sounds a bit familiar it may be due to the two theatrical movies that were based on the above story. The names of the movies? RIO and RIO2:
I recently rewatched this sweet movie and it now has heightened relevance and delight – give it a go!
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