The blue bird from the movie Rio has not been seen in the wild since 2000. In June 2022, eight Spix's macaws were released into the Caatinga scrubland of northeastern Brazil, the only place on Earth where they ever lived. The species flew in the wild again, though a virus now threatens the released birds.
The Bird From the Movie
Most people know the Spix's macaw from the animated film *Rio*, a bright blue parrot that is the last of its kind. That premise was already dated when the film was released in 2011. The real Spix's macaw had been gone from the wild since the last known wild bird disappeared in 2000, leaving only captive birds in private collections and breeding programs.
In 2018, a BirdLife International study recommended classifying the species as Extinct in the Wild.
The Captive Population
Over the course of the 20th century, Spix's macaws had been taken from the wild for the exotic bird trade. By the time their rarity was recognized, most survivors were in private hands. A painstaking international effort brought birds together into coordinated breeding programs, principally at a facility in Al Wabra, Qatar, and at ACTP's breeding centre in Germany.
Breeding Spix's macaws in captivity is difficult. They are highly specific about mates and environment. Progress was slow. But by 2022, the programme held about 200 birds worldwide, in captivity or preparing for release.
The Release
In June 2022, eight Spix's macaws were released near Curaçá in the Caatinga of Bahia, Brazil, two years after arriving from Germany with 44 others, the thorn-scrub ecosystem they evolved in, and the only place they have ever been found. They first spent time in an adaptation aviary at the site.
The birds were released into habitat that hadn't heard their call for more than two decades.
A second group of 12 was planned for December 2022. Then, in November 2025, the Brazilian government said the 11 birds still living in the wild had all tested positive for circovirus, which causes beak and feather disease, incurable and usually fatal.
Why It Matters Beyond One Species
The Caatinga is a vast dry forest found only in Brazil. The Spix's macaw release brought international attention to a region that rarely gets it.
The Numbers
- Last wild individual, disappeared in 2000
- Extinct in the Wild, recommended by BirdLife, 2018
- ~200, birds in the programme, 2022
- 8, released into Caatinga, June 2022
- 12, second release planned, December 2022
- 11, birds left in the wild in November 2025, all infected with circovirus
The Spix's macaw is not saved, and the virus could still undo the release. But after two decades, it has flown wild in Brazil again.
_Sources: Agência Brasil, "After more than 20 years, Spix's macaw returns to skies of Caatinga", 5 June 2022. BirdLife International, "Spix's Macaw heads list of first bird extinctions set to be confirmed this decade", 5 September 2018. RTBF with AFP, "Brésil : les aras de Spix menacés d'extinction par un virus mortel", 27 November 2025._