Spix’s Macaw

**Spix's macaw** (*Cyanopsitta spixii*), also known as the **little blue macaw**, is a macaw native to Brazil. It is a member of Tribe Arini in the subfamily Arinae (Neotropical parrots), part of the familyPsittacidae (the true parrots). It was first described by German naturalist Georg Marcgrave, when he was working in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1638 and it is named for German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who collected a specimen in 1819 on the bank of the Rio São Francisco in northeast Bahia in Brazil.

The bird is a medium-size parrot weighing about 300 grams (0.66 lb), smaller than most of the large macaws. Its plumage is various shades of blue, with a grey-blue head, light blue underparts, and vivid blue upperparts. Males and females are almost identical in appearance, however the females are slightly smaller on average.

The species inhabited riparian Caraibeira (*Tabebuia aurea*) woodland galleries in the drainage basin of the Rio São Francisco within the Caatinga dry forest climate of interior northeastern Brazil. It had a very restricted natural habitat due to its dependence on the tree for nesting, feeding and roosting. It fed primarily on seeds and nuts of Caraiba and various *Euphorbiaceae* (spurge) shrubs, the dominant vegetation of the Caatinga. Due to deforestation in its limited range and specialized habitat, the bird has been rare in the wild throughout the twentieth century. It has always been very rare in captivity, partly due to the remoteness of its natural range.

The IUCN regard the Spix's macaw as critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild. Its last known stronghold in the wild was in northeastern Bahia, Brazil, and sightings are very rare. After a 2000 sighting of a male bird, the next sighting was in 2016. The species is now maintained through a captive breeding program at several conservation organizations under the aegis of the Brazilian government. It is listed on CITES Appendix I, which makes trade illegal except for legitimate conservation, scientific or educational purposes. The Brazilian government department of natural resources (ICMBio) is conducting a project *Ararinha-Azul* with an associated plan to restore the species to the wild as soon as sufficient breeding birds and restored habitat are available.

## Description

Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is one of the world’s rarest birds, believed to have become extinct in the wild as of 2000. This elegant parrot has delicate blue-grey plumage, fading from the bright blue tail and wings to an ashy-blue crown. There is an area of featherless, dark grey skin around the eyes. Juvenile Spix’s macaws are typically dark blue in colour, but the skin around the eye is pale.

## Range and Habitat

Endemic to a small area in the northeastern corner of Brazil, a highly publicised and protected solitary male Spix’s macaw remained in the wild until October 2000, when he disappeared, never to be seen again. As of 2002, there was a captive population of around 60 Spix’s macaws around the globe, mostly in private collections; by 2010, this had increased to around 71 individuals, with an estimated total of about 120 including birds not registered in the official captive programme. Spix’s macaw inhabits caraiba (Tabebuia caraiba) gallery woodland along seasonal creeks, in the dry scrub zone known as ‘caatinga’.

## Behavior

### **Diet**

In the wild, the most common seeds and nuts consumed by Spix's were from Pinhão (*Jatropha pohliana* var. *mollissima*) and Favela (*Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus*). However these trees are colonizers, not native to the bird's habitat, so they could not have been historical staples of the diet. Its diet also included seeds and nuts from Joazeiro (*Ziziphus Joazeiro*), Baraúna (*Schinopsis brasiliensis*), Imburana (*Commiphora leptophloeos* or *Bursera leptophloeos*), Facheiro (*Pilosocereus piauhyensis)*, *Phoradendron* species, Caraibeira (*Tabebuia caraiba*), Angico (*Anadenanthera macrocarpa*), Umbu (*Spondias tuberosa*) and Unha-de-gato (*Acacia paniculata*). Reports from previous Spix's macaw researchers seem to add another two plants to the list: *Maytenus rigida* and *Geoffroea spinosa*. *Combretum leprosum* may also be a possibility.

### **Reproduction**

Captive bred Spix's macaws reach sexual maturity at seven years of age. A paired female born at the Loro Parque Fundación laid eggs at the age of five years, but these were infertile. It is suspected that late maturity in captivity may be due to inbreeding or other artificial environmental factors, as other parrots of similar size reach sexual maturity in two to four years. In the wild, mating involves elaborate courtship rituals, like feeding each other and flying together. This process is known to possibly take several seasons in other large parrots, and it may also be the case for the Spix's. They make their nests in the hollows of large mature Caraibeira trees, and reuse the nest year after year. The breeding season is November to March, with most eggs hatching in January to coincide with the start of the Caatinga January to April rainy season. In the wild, Spix's were believed to lay three eggs per clutch; in captivity, the average number is four eggs, and can range from one to seven. Incubation period is 25–28 days and only the female performs incubation duties. The chicks fledge in 70 days and are independent in 100–130 days.

The mating call of Spix's macaw can be described as the sound "whichaka". The sound is made by creating a low rumble in the abdomen bringing the sound up to a high pitch. Its voice is a repeated short grating. It also makes squawking noises. Its lifespan in the wild is unknown; the only documented bird (the last wild male), was older than 20 years. The eldest bird in captivity died at age 34 years.