14 Businesses Doing A Great Job At Melody Blue Spix Macaw
14 Businesses Doing A Great Job At Melody Blue Spix Macaw
Blog Article
Melody Blue Spix Macaw
After a long period filled with speculation and worry Brazilians and German conservationists were able to successfully reintroduce a grouping of couples back into their natural habitat. Their story is inspirational, but also filled with jealousy and backbiting.
The first challenge was to get enough birds to be traded. The macaws were monogamous so 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 endangered Spix's macaw. This bird was declared extinct by United Nations in 2000 due to decades of habitat destruction and poaching. They have a few of the birds in captivity and are hoping to release them close to Curaca. They refer to the birds as their little blue friends and compared their experience to the story of Presley, the last known Spix's macaw from the wild. They describe Presley as a true survivor, who lost his family, but kept his faith in his region. They feel a strong kinship to him and perceive their lives as similar to his.
The discovery of the last Spix's Macaw offered researchers with an opportunity to investigate its behavior in wild and gain a deeper understanding of how the species has survived for this long. It also allowed them to create a more accurate estimate of the historic population numbers of this rare bird. Researchers were able to collect important information about the bird's movements throughout the day and seasonal adaptation to drought and its food habits. They also monitored attempts at reproduction with an Illiger's and Spix's hybrid macaws which was a significant step towards the recovery of this species.
It was a remarkable accomplishment that this bird was able to survive and thrive in the wild despite the smallest gene pool and it has helped scientists to understand how these birds could be returned to the wild. The survival of the last bird encouraged people to take action to save other parrots as well as threatened species. Zoos have also been enticed to create their own captive breeding program for these exotic bird species.
This group is a great illustration of how conservation groups, other organizations and individuals can work together in order to conserve endangered wildlife and animals. This group brings together Brazilian government officials, zoo reps international holders of the Spix’s macaw and ornithologists, with a common goal that is the recovery of this endangered bird.
The working group has already accomplished a great deal of work, including the creation of plans for reintroducing the bird into the wild. The group has also been working to raise funds to fund field research, community outreach and captive-breeding birds to support the reintroduction program. The group has also established a permanent committee to save the bird.
Habitat
Endangered by poaching and habitat destruction The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) was thought to be extinct in the wild ten years ago. Today, aviculturists and ornithologists continue to fight tirelessly to bring this iconic bird back from the danger of extinction.
A popular animated movie and two sequels have made Spix's Macaw known to millions of people around the world however this is only the beginning in the long journey to bring these birds back from the edge. For decades, an international team has been working to breed and bring back Spix's macaws raised in a captive environment back into the wild.
The Spix's macaw is endemic to a small area of northeast Brazil known as the Caatinga, an arid region consisting of savannah scrubland flat interspersed with creeks that flow through the seasons and gallery forests. It was first described in 1819 and is one of the smallest known Neotropical parrots, despite only few glimpses of the wild, a few captive birds and a few museum specimens.
To save the declining population, an international group was established. It was comprised of Aviculturists who owned the last remaining bird and officials from the government. The group forged a partnership with the world-renowned non profit organization Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation of Qatar to create an initiative to reintroduce the Spix's Macaws back to their natural habitat.
AWWP has purchased and is recovering 2,380 hectares of Caatinga near Curaca (Brazil) of the most pristine habitat. AWWP also breeds and rears birds that will be released in the wild. This will provide the genetically pure source of animals for the future generations.
Spix's Macaws are typically found in trees, and are rarely seen on the ground. They typically build nests in tree holes or hollows and forage for fruit, seeds, nuts and other plants. They will typically spend up to three-quarters of the time in the nest.
To assist in tracking the Spix's macaws as well as their movements local communities were invited to join the field team. Members of the community were given watches that could be activated if the Spix's macaw was detected which allowed them to keep on top of the birds' movements and their movements throughout the wild. This approach has been very successful.
Diet
The Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the only species found in the family Cyanopsitta. It was declared extinct in the wild in the year 2019 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature following the disappearance of the last wild parrot to be identified disappeared in 2000. subsequent surveys failed to locate any additional birds. A reintroduction plan is in the process of attempting to bring back this critically endangered bird to its natural habitat in the Caatinga.
This region in northeast Brazil is home to about 10% of the entire country. Spix's Macaws nestled in the hollows of old caraibeiras and were known to feed on nuts and seeds.
Reintroduction of the Spix's Macaw into the wild is in progress. Eight captive-raised Spix's Macaws were released in the wild in June. Twelve more are expected to be released in 2022. They will be joined by Blue-winged Macaws, which have been reintroduced to the same area and will help to share knowledge of food sources, nesting and roosting areas.
The reintroduction program has already collected vital biological data about the behavior of the bird, including details about the patterns of movement and adaptations to drought. It also provides an insight into the natural history of the Spix's Macaw and helped to better determine the causes that led to its disappearance in the wild.
Spix's Macaws consume the fruits, nuts and seeds of a myriad of plants native to the Caatinga Biome. Pinhao-bravo and linhas Brasil, as well as facheiro (Pilosocereus Pachycladus) are all included in this diet. They may also consume the fruit of palms of acai (Acaia oliva) or mofumbo (Combretum leprosum).
Spix's Macaws like all parrots as well as other birds, are social birds that form close bonds with their parents. They are vocal and often imitate human speech and other sounds. They make a mating call called the "whichaka," which is described as a brief repeated grating sound that is similar to a flute. 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 adhere to a strict routine for their day, from flight paths to bathing habits and can identify the members of their flock. This is what makes them such popular pets and targets for the illegal bird trade.
In the early 1980s, only three Spix’s macaws remained in the wild. They were all poached. A plan to pair the male and female defeated in 1995, when poachers killed click here both birds. Since since then, all Spix's Macaws known have been captive-bred – mostly in Brazil.
The handful of Spix's macaws in captivity are made up of individuals who are the descendants of just two individuals, leaving them vulnerable to disease and other environmental issues. The majority of Spix's macaws that are in captivity are kept in a breeding center in Germany. However, this year an agreement between a German conservation center and Brazilian government expired, leaving the future plans for repatriation and the reintroduction of wild animals in doubt.
Despite their precarious number 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 out a sheikh in Qatar to purchase from the collector three Spix's Macaws that 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. Keeping them healthy and producing will be important to reintroducing these birds to the wild. Selecting the right birds to release is also crucial. Macaws should be of reproductive age and be paired up with siblings or close relatives.
Bringing the Spix's macaw back to the wild could be difficult, but it's important to try. ABC and its partners have developed reserves to protect the last remaining habitats of this species. The eight Spix's Macaws who were recently released will be joined by blue-winged Macaws. These macaws are more prevalent in Caatinga and live in areas where the Spix's macaws also live. These birds will assist the macaws adapt to their new surroundings. They will also provide safety by numbers.