The brilliantly blue Critically Endangered Spix’s Macaw is one of the world’s rarest birds. Heavy degradation from goat grazing of the Spix’s Macaws preferred habitat in the arid caatinga of northeastern Brazil and intense poaching pressure for the pet trade led to the species becoming extinct in the wild in 2000.

Luckily, a growing population of this bird lives in captivity and a sophisticated captive breeding and release program is almost ready to begin, an international effort by the Spix’s Macaw Association – ACTP (Germany), Pairi Daiza (Belgium), Parrots International (US), Al Wabra (Qatar), and Jurong Bird Park (Singapore). But, for this reintroduction to succeed, the macaws need a new protected area for feeding and nesting within the last known suitable habitat. While two patches of habitat for the species have been secured, additional key habitat needs protection to give the species a real chance at long-term survival in the wild.

Rainforest Trust and local partner Instituto Arara Azul seek $1,135,053 to purchase up to 6,082 acres of critical gallery forest habitat at the proposed reintroduction site to ensure the macaws have a secure reserve for feeding and nesting once released.

Photo: Two Critically Endangered Spix’s Macaws. Photo by DPA Picture-Alliance.

*Carbon Storage figures represent estimated metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents stored in above-ground live woody biomass at the project site, as converted from Aboveground Live Woody Biomass Density data provided by the Woods Hole Research Center through climate.globalforestwatch.org.