Spix's Macaw, The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird by Tony Juniper, Book Review by Karen Marts (on Amazon)

When I was at The Oasis Sanctuary last year in Arizona, I had the evenings to myself to read. The largest bird sanctuary in the country had a huge library of bird books. So rather than read the 12 books I had dragged across country, I glanced at this particular title with interest. There are only 4 giant royal blue birds in this Macaw Family: The Hyacinth Macaw with a huge beak and large yellow circle around the eye; the Lear's Macaw, a slimmer version of the 1st bird; the Glacous Macaw, more of a bluish green color; and the Spix's Macaw with almost ethereal blue on its body, with a greyish head. My brother Jim got me the book for Christmas. It is the second most important book I've ever read in my life. The 1st book of importance was The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill as it lead me to be more interested in birds/animals/reptiles/fish, appreciate my pet parrot Boo, and to donate to bird/animal/environmental charities. Interestingly enough, when I was reading the Spix's book in July, my parrot calendar just happened to feature a Hyacinth Macaw. Also, the Nesbitt Family, friends from The Salty Dog days, gave me a beautiful card with the Hyacinth Macaw on it. It has been under the glass of my bedside night table for many years! I look at it daily.

The book gave a historical account of the blue birds listed above, as well as the evolution of many parrots species. It described how the parrot trade, driven by greed, caused the extinction of the Spix's Macaw in the wild. The birds lived in a very specific dry area in Brazil near river basins. They required a particular type of tree to nest in. Farming, poaching, habitat loss, etc contributed to the extinction. Two young birds would command $60,000! There were bird collectors are all over the world who truly loved birds, but had no idea that the Spix's Macaw was on the brink. Although discovered in 1817, the birds were not sighted in the wild for another 84 years! The birds were discovered again, but then not seen for another 42 years. It was assumed that the macaw was extinct. Spotted again in 1990, an "ornithological gauntlet" was thrown down, so to speak, to try to save the world's rarest bird. The last Spix's Macaw lived by himself for about 13 years. Oddly enough he paired up with a little green maracana parrot. After this blue macaw was located, about 5 years passed, while local/national/global authorities argued on how best to treat the bird, protect it, and propagate the species. They begged bird owners from around the world to donate female Spix's Macaws to see if a successful

breeding program might be started. Although eventually a captive female Spix's Macaw was set up in a cage and then released for the male to breed with, the male had a stronger relationship with the little maracana parrot. Three very sad set of events then took place... several clutches of eggs from the last wild Spix's Macaw male and his female maracana partner were removed from the nest and replaced with other bird eggs. They successfully reared birds, but never had a chance to raise their own eggs. Secondly, the female Spix's Macaw ran into an electrical wire and was killed, ending the opportunity to further the species in the wild. Lastly, the last male in the wild just disappeared. He had been observed by the scientists looking up watching for hawks, but no local inhabitant ever found the body of the last Spix's Macaw. The Race to Save the World's Rarest Parrot had brought recognition to the tiny rural town (it took several days of driving to reach it), and they had renovated a small theatre and put on a play about the Spix's Macaw. The conservation program also shed light on the plight of all exotic birds, and that global teamwork was needed to save future species. The Carolina Parakeet was the only bird in the parrot family that was indigenous to America. It was shot for its feathers, and because it was considered a pest to crops. It was extinct by the 1930's. The dodo bird is another famous bird that went extinct. Some islands across the oceans have been infested with rats, monkeys, and other predators that did not exist years ago, making it difficult for some exotic birds to sustain a stable population. The Chicago Zoo had a Spix's Macaw for 20 years. A parrot fossil from 55 million years ago was found in Scandinavia. Today organizations like The World Parrot Trust partner with international conservation programs to protect the wide array of exotic parrot birds. It is hoped that the wild-caught and captive bred Spix's Macaws in zoos, sanctuaries, and private owners will remain protected.