Germany-born Spix's macaws arrive in Brazil

A couple of Spix's macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii) considered as extinct in the wild arrived Tuesday (Mar. 3) in Brazil. Born in Germany, the macaws, who were named Carla and Tiago, were born to a Brazilian female, and are hoped to help increase the species population in Brazil.

The Ministry for the Environment reports there are currently only 11 individuals of the species in the country, all of whom are kept in a wildlife vivarium for conservation purposes in São Paulo.

The initiative of bringing the macaw couple to Brazil is a partnership of Brazil's government with the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation from Germany. Their arrival marked the World Wildlife Day, which helps promote international cooperation to protect species.

“Today is a very exciting day for biodiversity conservation in Brazil. It's a unique day for our technical and scientific efforts as we helped an iconic species return to Brazil. Let's all hope it can go back into the wild in the future,” said Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira.

The animals were taken to a quarantine facility of the Ministry of Agriculture where they will remain under observation for 15 days. From there, they will be taken to a vivarium in São Paulo.

“We will keep testing and working to have these species back in the wild by 2020,” said Teixeira. She explained that the milestone for reintegrating the Spix's macaws into their natural habitat – the Caatinga scrubland in northern Bahia – is after the population reaches 150 individuals. Breeding only begins at the age of four, when the macaws reach adulthood. Only five individuals are bred from the parents in every 12-month period.

According to the minister, the species has no longer been found in nature since 2000, which has led Brazil, Qatar and Germany to cooperate to enable it to breed in captivity.

Translated by Mayra Borges