The blue bird from the movie Rio was declared extinct in the wild in 2019. 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 is flying in the wild again.
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 male disappeared in 2000, leaving only captive birds in private collections and breeding programs.
In 2019, the IUCN officially declared the species Extinct in the Wild.
>> "This is not a happy ending — it is a beginning. The real work starts now."
— ACTP, Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots
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 global captive population had grown to over 180 individuals.
The Release
In June 2022, eight Spix's macaws were transported from Germany to the Caatinga region of Bahia, Brazil — the thorn-scrub ecosystem they evolved in, and the only place they have ever been found. The site had been prepared for years: the land secured, local communities engaged, food plants grown, nest boxes installed.
The birds were released into habitat that hadn't heard their call for more than two decades.
By 2023, the birds were surviving. Sightings were confirmed. No wild breeding had occurred yet — the releases are ongoing, with more birds planned each year.
Why It Matters Beyond One Species
The Caatinga is one of the least protected biomes in Brazil — a vast dry forest covering 10% of the country's land area, home to thousands of endemic species, and chronically underfunded for conservation. The Spix's macaw release brought international attention and money to a region that rarely gets either.
The Numbers
- Last wild individual — disappeared in 2000
- Extinct in the Wild — declared 2019
- 180+ — captive individuals by 2022
- 8 — released into Caatinga, June 2022
- More releases planned — annually through 2026 and beyond
The Spix's macaw is not saved. But it is flying in Brazil again. That sentence was not true three years ago.