ANIMAL FACTS

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Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixi)

After rising to fame as the main influence for Disney’s ‘Rio’, the Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixi) gained a significant amount of awareness for its title as the world’s rarest parrot. Often referred to as the little blue macaw, this Brazilian parrot has been considered extinct in the wild since 2000.

Part of Brazil’s ‘National Plan of Action’ for the species involves reintroduction from captive breeding projects across Europe. A major turning point in this global effort is due to happen later this year. 52 parrots, will be introduced in stages through an adaption process throughout the year. Until recently, the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots in Germany, where the birds were bred, held 90% of the worlds Spix’s Macaws.

In the wild, the Spix’s Macaw would travel in family groups and maintain a monogamous relationship their entire life. They were granivorous and frugivorous and would travel the seasonal rivers searching for food, in response to rainfall.