The Spix's Macaw

The Spix's Macaw

By Mackenzie Smith

​Scientific Classifications

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​Scientific Name: Cyanopsitta spixii

​Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves​

Order: Psittaciformes​

​Family: Psittacidae

Spix's Macaws are ​the rarest parrot in the world with only about 160 of them existing in captivity.

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Population

​Spix's Macaws tend to eat a variety of nuts (their beaks are adapted to opening hard shelled nuts), fruit, seeds, and sometimes parts of tree bark and cactus.

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​Diet

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The Spix's Macaw is a small parrot, with blue-grey ​plumage, ​azure blue wings and tail, and ash-blue feathers around the head. The skin around the birds eyes are normally a dark grey.

​Appearance

Spix's Macaws generally live in northeast and interior Brazil, northeast Bahia, and southern Piaui. But most Spix's Macaws live in captivity due to being critically endangered.

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​Habitat

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The animals that the Spix's Macaw are prey to are ​rats, feral cats, mongooses, and monkeys.

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​Predators

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Organizations are working to ​grow the population of Spix's Macaws in captivity so that there is hope for them to be repopulated in the wild.

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​Repopulation

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​The Spix's Macaw can live up to around 34 years in captivity. The lifespan in the wild is unknown.

​Lifespan

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The Spix's Macaw is considered extinct in the wild but there are less than 200 in captivity.

Extinction

​The movie Rio is based on the true story of a Spix's Macaw called Elvis. The owner of Elvis actually let Elvis join the captive breeding program to help preserve the critically endangered species.

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​Filmography

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​People who illegally capture Spix's Macaws, called poachers or trappers, will trap the birds for little or no cost and sell them for up to $200,000.

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​Price

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• ​The Spix's Macaws eggs are only 1cm wide and 5cm long.

• ​The Spix's Macaw is known as "the little blue macaw".

• ​Their wingspan is 64cm long.

• ​They weigh 250-400 grams.

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​Random Facts

​The Spix's Macaw is part of the "four blues". The other macaws in this group include the hyacinth macaw, Lear's macaw, and glaucous macaw.

Relatives​

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• ACTP Germany

• ​Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation in Qatar

• ​Fasenda Cachoeira

• ​Parrots International

• ​Wildlife Parks Singapore

• ​Paira Daiza Foundation

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​Organizations

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​Organization Links

• https://www.bluemacaws.org/article/the-spixs-macaw-conservation-programme

• http://spixsmacaw.org/

• https://www.act-parrots.org/spixs-macaw/?lang=en#:~:text=These%20seven%20organisations%20are%2C%20ACTP,and%20the%20Pairi%20Daiza%20Foundation.

• ​https://www.parrots.org/projects/spixs-macaw

​Video Links

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-spixs-macaw-parrot-that-inspired-rio-is-extinct-in-wild/​

• ​https://a-z-animals.com/animals/spixs-macaw/

• ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaY-2MtoaEc

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcVVmb1stTM

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH-sGbYeR58