the spix macaw
DESCRIPTION
The Spix Macaw. By Alyssa Shoultes. What is it?! Why the Macaw?. The Spix Macaw is a species of macaw endemic to Brazil. The bird reaches a length of about 22 inches and are mostly blue . They also go by the name “Little Blue Macaw .” - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Spix MacawBy
Alyssa Shoultes
What is it?! Why the Macaw?The Spix Macaw is a species of macaw endemic to Brazil. The bird reaches a length of about 22 inches and are mostly blue. They also go by the name “Little Blue Macaw.”
I chose the Spix Macaw for 2 reasons. One, these birds are critically endangered and are thought to be wildly extinct. Two, I have a fascination for birds; the parrots in particular.
Discovery
The Spix Macaw was discovered around 1817 by naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix. Originally, he thought he had caught a similar species, the Hyacinth Macaw. Later, it was discovered that it wasn’t a Hyacinth Spix discovered- it was a different species. The bird was named in his honour.
DeclineUntil 1988, the species declined in numbers rapidly. The illegal capture of the Spix Macaw for the pet trade and the removal of the Caraibeira tree- which the Spix depends on for nesting- fueled the fires.
Intervention• In 1988, a few concerned ornithologists
and conservationists noticed the decline of the bird species and wanted to bring back the wild populations in Brazil. However, the first year was only dedicated to determining the legality of the idea.
• A year later- after the legal issues- the Little Blue Macaw Project started to save the species.
• Later in the same year, excitement came about as a wild specimen- a female- was discovered in the area. They rehabilitated a male bird and released him into the wild.
• However, tragedy struck when- 2 years later- a dead Spix was discovered by a local farm. It was discovered to be the female. The owner hesitated to tell about the bird since he thought that he would get in trouble for the bird’s death.
• In 2000, after watching for several years, the male bird suddenly disappeared. It’s unknown what happened to him. It was also the time when the IUCN said the bird was Extinct in the Wild.
• In the same year of 2000, there was plans to release several habilitated birds back in the wild. They went through with the plan but it’s unknown how it’s working out.