Spix’s Macaw is now believed to be extinct in the wild. It was found near the Rio São Francisco in north Bahia, Brazil and named after the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who discovered the species in 1817. It fed upon on Euphorbiaceae plant species in the rain forest canopy.

The reason for it’s decline to around 50 remaining birds in captivity is two fold. The primary reason for the decline is poaching for the Pet Trade. While many birds breed well in captivity, Spix’s Macaw do not.

The other issue is a breeding problem with macaws in the wild. Macaws are cavity breeders and after the introduction of Africanized “Killer” bees, the bees displaced the Macaw nests, causing the macaw wild population to plummet.

The Spix’s Macaw is 1 of 17 in-trouble bird species in my series "Threatened, Endangered, Extinct ".

The Macaw was created using a digital model from the author Songbird ReMix 3d digital bird series (songbirdremix.com)