The stunning blue-grey parrot called the Spix’s Macau (Cyanopsitta spixii) is the rarest bird of the wild that was for over a century considered to be a ‘mystery’ and all sorts of ‘mythical’. The scientists first described it in early 19th century, when it grabbed all the attention, from parrot lovers to bird enthusiasts and even the poachers. But it was scarcely spotted. Well, the shocking revelation is the fact that by the mid- 1990s, this mythical blue bird species had only one single individual to remain alive in the wild, that was close to a small dusky town, Curaca in north eastern Brazil. It was made famous by the Hollywood movie ‘Rio’, here is all you need to know about the Macau:
Where does the Spix’s Macau belongs to?
Spix’s Macau has its natural home in the Caatinga, which is a tropical dry forest in the northeast of Brazil. Caatinga, the ‘white forest’ was once inhabited by the Spix’s macaus in the nests of old caraibeira trees. As Caatinga began to be turned to ranches by humans, the Spix Macaus also lost their natural habitats. As rare it was, it soon began to be eyed by poachers and the rich, who tried to earn money out of it or wanted it anyways for ‘status’.
The efforts
The comeback of the Spix’s Macau has to be nothing less of a miracle. When the Spix’s project, again something incredibly unique aimed to reintroduce a species back into the wild which was extinct that time, was extinct for over two decades. Only a few introduction programs have been capable of doing something like that before, that too none with parrots or Macau.
As of early 1987, only 3 Spix’s Macau existed in the wild and by 1996, 39 captive birds. The first attempt to pair the last male with a bird failed in 1995, he disappeared later in 2000, which reportedly led to the declaration of the Macau as extinct. In 2010, the captive population of the Macau faced the threat of disease and low birth rate. Notably, the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially declared the Spix’s Macau extinct in 2019, this is exactly 200 years after the bird was known to the world.
In a landmark conservation effort, the Association for the Conservation of Parrots (ACTP), took on the challenge to reintroduce the bird back to its native land, in Caatinga, Brazil. In March 2020, as many as 52 macaus were flown off from Berlin’s ACTP center to Brazil in a private jet. It was in 2021, when three chicks hatched, a first Spix’s Macau born in its original home after 30 years. Their birth reflects a potential for success in the reintroduction program.
Followed in 2022, with the successful release of 20 Spix’s Macau back in the wild.
Anant Ambani’s Vantara
The initiative is now actively led by ACTP with a recent collaboration with Greens Zoological Rescue & Rehabilitation Center (GZRCC), which is an affiliate of Anant Ambani’s Vantara taking a major leap forward. Under the global reintroduction program, on 29th January 2025, 41 Spix’s Macau were transferred from the ACTP’s breeding center in Berlin to Brazil’s Bahia. This resembles to the past effort of 2020, when 52 macaus were flown to Caatinga. The new venture marks a significant leap forward for the reintroduction program.
Vantara is the wildlife preservation project founded by Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center is spread around 3000-acres of area in Jamnagar, Gujarat. With scientific expertise, funding for conservation and cross-border collaboration, Vantara is committed for the ecosystem and biodiversity’s betterment.
Vantara’s wildlife conservation efforts extend beyond the sole project of Spix’s Macau. The organization dedicatedly aims to restore the rich and diverse wildlife heritage of India. It is carrying on efforts to introduce the captivated rhinos into secure habitats, strengthen Asiatic lion populations and ensure the return of Cheetahs to Indian forests.
The recent project
The 41 Spix’s Macau chosen as a part of the reintroduction program have been selected based on their health and pedigree. The group includes 15 males, 23 females and three juveniles. The birds will contribute to the breeding program carried on with the objective of ensuring the long term survival of the species. While some will join the group prepared for release this year. Before the travel, the birds were quarantined being tested for disease, then only departed for Brazil.
Vantara has played a pivotal role in the mission extending its expert guidance, resources and support. Martin Guth, the founder of ACTP expressed his gratitude and said, “On behalf of ACTP, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Anant Ambani and Vantara for their remarkable contribution to the Spix’s Macau’s Reintroduction Project. In addition to their generous financial support, the expertise that Vantara shared with us has been invaluable in successfully breeding this extinct-in-the-wild species. Vantara’s unwavering dedication to biodiversity restoration and endangered species protection has been pivotal to the success of this initiative.”
The reintroduction program progresses ahead, with sight of success in every step ahead. The Spix’s Macau is now thriving into the wild, and is no more an extinct bird that once vanished in oblivion. More such initiatives can be carried forward to ensure survival of the endangered species standing on the verge of extinction.
