Spix Macaw

Measures have since been put in place to prevent the recurrence of this tragedy. In 1997/98 more Illigers eggs were transferred into the nesting cavity of the mixed pair. At the writing of this editorial the results were not in as to what happened with them. The three eggs removed from the mixed pair to permit the transfer were found to be infertile. The objective of the transfers is to see if the pair is capable of raising and rearing young. Later, measures could be taken to transfer Spix eggs to the mixed pair's nest from captive stock allowing them to raise young that could survive in their now heavily protected range. The possibility is also being considered, to transfer captive produced Spix eggs to wild Illigers' nests in the local region.

March 1999 update:

    In a fourth attempt in three years, the Spix/Illigers pair has now successful fledged young from their nest. Previous attempts to replace the hybrid pair's eggs with locally obtained Illigers' eggs have repeatedly failed for various reasons. In the most recent effort the pair's eggs were replaced with wooden eggs until the time that they would have hatched. Two three-day old Illigers chicks from a local nest were then placed into the nest. In the third week of March 1999 the two chicks fledged from the nest. The parents continued to feed them outside of the nest.
    This proves that the pair can raise chicks and opens many new possibilities for the recovery of the Spix population.
    The references used in this editorial were the proceedings of the IV International Parrot Convention at Loro Parque, Tenerife, September 1998, the lecture given at the convention on this subject, Parrots of the world by Joseph Forshaw, Parrots in Aviculture by Rosemary Low, and the March 1999 edition of the Cyanopsitta (the Loro Parque publication). I would like to thank Loro Parque for the photos used and Claus Meyer for the photo of the single Spix Macaw used on the previous page.

If you would like to help fund this project you can join the Loro Parque Foundation. You can email them at loroparque.fundacion@jet.es

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