The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has once again shown its dedication to global conservation by renewing its partnership with the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP). Together, they are working toward one of the most remarkable conservation stories of our time: bringing the Spix’s Macaw, a bird once declared extinct in the wild, back to its natural home in Brazil.
A Parrot Once Thought Lost Forever
The Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), sometimes called the “Little Blue Macaw,” captured global attention when it was featured in the animated movie Rio. Sadly, reality mirrored fiction for many years—the last known wild individual disappeared in the year 2000. With fewer than 200 birds surviving only in captivity, experts feared this dazzling blue parrot would vanish forever.
But thanks to global collaboration, strict breeding programs, and dedicated conservation projects, there is new hope for the Spix’s Macaw.
Berlin’s Rare Treasures
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin plays a unique role in this mission. It holds two rare Spix’s Macaw skins, making it the only museum in the world to house newly preserved specimens. These invaluable scientific resources support ongoing research, helping scientists better understand the species’ biology, history, and conservation needs.
By renewing its agreement with ACTP, the museum reinforces its commitment to a future where the Spix’s Macaw once again thrives in the wild.
Breeding for Survival
Today, around 200 Spix’s Macaws exist in captivity worldwide. Carefully coordinated breeding efforts are essential to ensure genetic diversity and long-term survival. In Brazil, the national biodiversity agency ICMBio developed the Spix’s Macaw Action Plan, while ACTP launched the Release Project to prepare the birds for life in the wild.
These programs have already shown success. In 2020, more than 50 captive-bred macaws were flown to a special release station in Curaçá, a region in Brazil’s Caatinga dry forest—where the species once naturally lived. This reintroduction is a historic milestone, turning the dream of seeing Spix’s Macaws back in their homeland into reality.
More Than Just Birds: A Community Effort
What makes this project extraordinary is that it goes beyond releasing parrots. Conservationists understood that to protect the Spix’s Macaw, they also needed to restore its ecosystem and involve local communities.
In Curaçá, a former farm within the birds’ historic range has been transformed into a conservation sanctuary. This land now supports organic agriculture, habitat restoration, and environmental education programs. To date, more than 7,500 schoolchildren have participated in conservation activities, helping to build a new generation of environmental stewards.
By linking wildlife conservation with community benefits, the project creates a win-win scenario: protecting biodiversity while improving livelihoods.
A Symbol of Hope
The return of the Spix’s Macaw is more than just the story of one bird—it’s a symbol of what is possible when science, governments, conservation groups, and local people work together. While challenges remain, including ongoing threats to the Caatinga ecosystem and the small size of the wild population, the progress so far proves that extinction doesn’t always have to be the end.
The renewed partnership between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and ACTP ensures continued support for research, breeding, and education programs, keeping alive the dream of a thriving population of Spix’s Macaws in Brazil’s skies.
Once a tragic icon of extinction, the Spix’s Macaw is now a beacon of hope for global conservation. Thanks to tireless efforts in Berlin, Brazil, and beyond, this brilliant blue parrot is no longer just a memory in museums or cartoons it is flying once more in its native homeland.