Geographic Range
Spix's macaws were found in interior northwestern Brazil in small areas in southern
Piaui, extreme southern Maranhao, northeastern Goias, and northwestern Bahia. However,
they are now extinct in the wild and with the exception of a single male, exist only
in captivity in: Walsrode Birdpark (Germany) - 4 birds, Loro Parque, Tenerife (Spain)-
2 birds, Naples Zoo (Italy) - 1 bird, Sao Paolo Zoo (Brazil) - 3 birds, Private keeper
(Philippines) - 4 birds, Private keeper (northern Switzerland) - 18 birds, Private
keeper (Qatar) - 4 birds, Private keepers (Brazil) - 20 birds, and other sites in
the United States, Japan, Portugal, and Yugoslavia.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
At one time it was theorized that Spix's macaws prefer areas with groves of buriti
palms (
Mauritia flexuosa
) because their diet includes nuts produced by these palms. However, before their
numbers dwindled, the birds were observed in the Juazeiro/Curaco area which is an
arid region of northeast Brazil called the Tabebuia caraiba woodlands, where very
few palms can be found. The abundant plants in this area are known as caatinga vegetation
and consist of thornbushes like the giant succulents (
Euphorbiaceae
), cactus such as the fachiero (
Cereus squamosus
), and diverse opuntia types, as well as tall craibeira trees that grow along the
water courses.
The birds seem to favor the dead crowns of craibeira trees as perches which suggests
that these are important nest sites for Spix's macaws.
The habitat of the Tabebuia caraiba woodland is distinctive as a result of the presence
of three seasonal watercourses that provide necessary habitat for the growth of the
craibeira trees, and thus, the existence of Spix's macaws. The trees grow at regular
intervals of approximately 10 meters along the banks, with caatinga vegetation surrounding
them. The pattern of the trees and vegetation, as well as the variability of the
watercourses, creates a completely unique habitat that cannot be found anywhere else
on earth. This, no doubt, contributes to the naturally small population of Spix's
macaws.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- scrub forest
- Aquatic Biomes
- rivers and streams
Physical Description
The plumage of adult Spix's macaws is dull blue with a faint greenish tinge on the breast and abdomen. The upperside of the back and tail are a deeper blue, the bare lores and cheeks are dark grey, the ear-coverts and forehead are pale grey-bluish. The underside of the tail and wing-coverts are dark grey. Their bill is blackish, smaller, and less curved than that of close relatives. Their irises are pale yellowish, and the feet are grey. Sexes are alike. They weigh 360 g and are 55 cm long, on average. Their wingspans are 1.2 m and their basal metabolic rates are 1.245 cm^3 oxygen/hour.
Fledglings and immatures have a shorter tail than adults and the upper mandible is
horn-colored with blackish sides; the irises are brown.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
Spix's macaws are monogomous and mate for life. It is suspected that when the macaws
were more abundant, males competed for mates as well as for nesting spots. However,
the birds are so rare that it is nearly impossible to observe natural behavior, particularly
since it is thought that only one bird (a male) is left in the wild.
The wild male is paired with a female Illiger's macaw (
Ara maracana
)- a bird of a different species. The pair can be observed in the evening at a traditional
overnight roosting site used outside of the breeding season. At sunset, the male Spix's
macaw accompanies the female to her roosting site, and then flies to his own resting
place. The Spix's macaw and Illiger's macaw pair mate every year. However, their
eggs are hollow and infertile (although the female incubates them normally) and the
pair has been unable to produce young.
- Mating System
- monogamous
In the wild, Spix's macaws breed between November and March. A clutch is usually two
to three eggs and is laid in the hollows of the dead crowns of craibeira trees. The
same nests are generally reused each year - this makes them especially susceptible
to poaching because the poachers can take note of the location of the nest and return
each breeding season. Because they have extremely small crops, baby Spix's macaws
require more frequent feeding than other young macaws. During this time, it is essential
that the adult Spix's macaws are undisturbed, as they may injure or destroy their
eggs.
Breeding in captivity has been achieved several times. In captivity, breeding begins
in August and there is no courtship display. Rather, breeding is signalled by mutual
feeding, longer periods of treading (often 5 to 10 minutes) and increasing aggressiveness
towards the keeper. The clutch is 2 to 4 eggs (the same as in the wild) laid in two
day intervals; not all the eggs are fertile. Incubation lasts 26 days, the chicks
fledge in 2 months and are independent in 5 months. Juveniles reach sexual maturity
in 7 years.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
There are usually two or three young per nest. They hatch with much smaller crops
than other macaws of a similar size, so adults must feed their young much more often.
Spix's macaws have a fledging period of 2 months, but once they have left the next,
the young are still fed by parents for up to 3 months. In addition to food, the parents
provide protection and are very aggressive during breeding season. If threatened,
the birds have been known to lay on the ground on their sides to draw attention away
from the nest.
Most of what is known about learned behavior and parenting in Spix's macaws is speculation,
due to their rarity in the wild. In captivity, for example, the female macaw has
been observed taking an active role in the flight-learning process. However, with
only one male and no offspring produced in the wild, scientists must speculate that
parents teach their young which seeds and nuts are good to eat as well as how to open
them. In captivity, parents are very involved with the growth, learning, and development
of their young which leads to specuation that macaws live and travel in a tight-knit
family unit.
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
- altricial
-
pre-hatching/birth
- protecting
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- male
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-independence
-
provisioning
- male
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
- post-independence association with parents
Lifespan/Longevity
The 28-year lifespan of
Cyanopsitta spixii
is considerably shorter than other, larger macaws, but similar to its closest relative,
Illiger's macaws which have a lifespan of approximately 30 years. However, so many
Spix's macaw eggs, fledglings, and adults have been taken illegally from the wild,
that it is difficult to know their average lifespan. In addition, the birds travel
in pairs or family units and take active roles in feeding their young and finding
food for each other. Because of this, it is difficult to know how their small numbers
in the wild have affected their lifestyle and longevity.
Behavior
Spix's macaws are very routine-oriented birds, following the same flight paths, scavenging
activities, and bathing at the same time each day. Even in their interactions with
each other and other birds, routines are followed. For example, the single male in
the wild can been observed each night at sunset escorting his mate, the female Illiger's
macaw back to her nest, before returning to his own. As mentioned above, Spix's macaws
prefer to travel in pairs or small family groups along the seasonal rivers hunting
for food, and roosting and nesting together in treetops. Spix's macaws were always
extremely shy and were often identified by their raucous "kra-ark" call during flight.
It is very hard to estimate the territory size of Spix's macaws in the wild, as there
is only one bird. Although they are aggressive animals, scientists can only speculate
about territorial behavior - as it is, the single male macaw has free reign over his
territory. Therefore, we can only assume that his boundaries are restricted only
by his need for proximity to his nest and mate, and the restrictions placed by the
habitat - the Tabebuia craibeira trees only exist in a 20 km wide area. They are known
to be sedentary and show diurnal activity patterns.
Home Range
We do not have information on home range for this species at this time.
Communication and Perception
Like many other species of macaw, Spix's macaws are masters of mimcry. They can mimic
human noises - a so-called "talking" bird. Macaws are lively, noisy birds that rarely
fly more than a few feet without letting out the "kra-ark" cry. Though they have
rarely been observed in groups larger than two or three, it is suspected that at one
time they traveled in flocks of up to fifteen birds, making this kind of constant
oral communication an absolute necessity.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
- Other Communication Modes
- mimicry
Food Habits
Spix's macaws are frugivores and granivores, eating the seeds of favela/faveleira
trees (
Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus
) and pinhao-brabo trees (
Jatropha pohliana
), as well as the fruits of fachiero cacti (
Cereus squamosus
), zizyphus joazeiro cacti and pau-de-colher cacti (
Maytenus rigida
). The have also been observed eating the fruits of the very local licuri palm (
Syagrus coronata
).
In captivity, Spix's macaws are usually fed a variety of fruit, seeds, and nuts, in
addition to important vitamin and mineral supplements that may be acquired by consumption
of small amounds of tree bark and cactus meat not available in captivity. In order
to hand rear macaws, making them more affectionate and trusting, they may be fed on
porridge, egg, and small amounts of pre-cooked beef.
- Plant Foods
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
Predation
When threatened, especially in the presence of eggs or fledglings, Spix's macaws are
known to lay on their side on the ground to draw attention to themselves. In addition,
when acting aggressivly towards a competitor or predator, they employ their loud
voice and large, flapping wings to scare the predator away.
Ecosystem Roles
Cynopsitta Spixii
has such a small population that is is nearly impossible to notice any impact on
the community ecology. The macaws are shy birds that keep mainly to themselves, though
may be aggressive if threatened. They consume the fruit of cactus trees and the seeds
of faveleira and pinhao trees and could be effective seed dispersers. However, with
such extremely small numbers, there is no noticable contribution.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Poachers and trappers trap Spix's macaws in the wild at little or no cost and sell them for up to $200,000. It is estimated that illegal trafficking in rare and endangered species generates $l0 billion to $20 billion a year - third only to drugs and black-market weapons.
Spix's macaws were hunted for food, especially in the Curaca region.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of Spix's macaws on humans.
Conservation Status
Spix's macaws are by far the rarest and one of the most protected birds in the world. They have no known subspecies, and have been reduced to only one wild individual. There are many causes for this near-extinction but Paul Roth has identified three main reasons for the rapid decline. 1) Hunting by the indigenous people of Brazil. 2) African bees introduced to the area occupy breeding spaces and often drive nesting Spix's macaws out or kill young macaws. They have been blamed, in part, for the low breeding yields. 3) Trapping activites are the most direct and harmful cause of Spix's macaw's declines. Because of the beauty of the birds, as well as their rarity, poachers and trappers have captured adults, fledglings, and removed eggs from nests for decades. They have been sold to local zoos or smuggled out of the country to foreign zoos and wealthy private owners. The price to purchase a pair of macaws in 1987 was already $40,000, and is probably double or triple the price today.
Collar et. al. (1992) recognize a fourth reason for the decline of Spix's macaws - habitat encroachment. The area in which the single male macaw resides is certainly large enough for his survival, but the destruction of the caatinga woodland that has been occuring in the push for more fertile farmland has doubtless had a great effect on Spix's macaw populations. Collar et. al. (1992) draw the connection between the clearing of woodlands containing the craibeira tree in Pernambuco, and the subsequent disappearance of the macaw in previous decades.
Spix's macaws are listed as 'Critically endangered' by the IUCN and are on CITES Appendix
I.
While captive breeding appears to be the one thing that can save the Cyanopsitta Spixii from extinction, private ownership of the birds (which constitutes more than 75% of the population) is the greatest impediment to the breeding process. As Giles Wittell says in his article for The Times, "There is still hope for the Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), but only if Homo sapiens can stop squabbling over him. So far, however, the pattern has been the reverse. The rarer the bird has become, the more intense and acrimonious the human drama over its fate has become. It is a drama involving the good, the egotistical and the unimaginably rich, in which the true hero, the bird himself, often gets pushed to the wings."
To be fair, there are countless organizations and private contributors dedicated to
saving the bird. Millions of dollars are put to use each year to keep the macaw in
existence, and for now, the efforts have been successful, but only in captivity.
Other Comments
In captivity, it is recommended for macaws to have an expansive aviary with an adjoining
shelter of about 3 x 2 x 2 m. The aviary should be in a quiet location as the bird
is distracted and easily disturbed, especially during breeding season. The inside
area should have plenty of perches and a tree stump approximately 35 cm in diameter
and 70 cm high with an entrance hole that is 10 cm wide.
Additional Links
Contributors
Alaine Camfield (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Molly Spooner (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- mimicry
-
imitates a communication signal or appearance of another kind of organism
- pet trade
-
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
- granivore
-
an animal that mainly eats seeds
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Arndt, T., A. Sojer, H. Strunden, R. Wirth. 1986. A few strokes before midnight for the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii). Gefiederte Welt , 12. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.bluemacaws.org/spixart6.htm .
Central Pets Educational Foundation, 2003. "Macaw - Spix's" (On-line). Central Pets.com. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/birds/parrots/PRT848.shtml .
Collar, N., L. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, L. Naranjo, A. Madroño Nieto. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas . Washington, London: Smithsonian Institution Press.
IUCN, 2003. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" (On-line). Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.redlist.org/ .
Juniper, A., C. Yamashita. 1991. The habitat and status of Spix's Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii. Bird Conservation International , 1: 1-9. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.bluemacaws.org/spixart7.htm .
Loro Parque Fundacion, 1996. Cyanopsitta. PERMANENT COMMITTEE FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE SPIX’S MACAW: 40-35. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/lec15/spix.html .
Ridgely, R. 1980. The Current Distribution and Status of Mainland Neotropical Parrots. ICBP Parrot Working Group Meeting: 241-242. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.bluemacaws.org/spxart17.htm .
Roth, P., T. Pittman. 1990. Spix's Macaw - Cyanopsitta spixii. What do we know today about this rare bird?. Cage & Aviary Birds , 3 and 4. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.bluemacaws.org/spixart1.htm .
Wittell, G. 2002. Battle of the bird breeders. The Times , 11 January. Accessed April 19, 2004 at http://www.bluemacaws.org/spxart22.htm .
Yakan, S. 2000. "All About Macaws" (On-line). The Avian Web - All About Birds.