With a flash of crimson and a splash of emerald, red-and-green macaws (Ara chloropterus) are breeding in the Atlantic Forest for the first time in 200 years.
The successful hatching of two chicks marks the first documented reintroduction of the species into the biome and sets a milestone for the conservation of the coastal Brazilian forest.
The red-and-green macaw was once widely distributed in Brazil, but deforestation and illegal capture for the pet trade fuelled its extinction along the entire Brazilian coast. In 2022, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) established a reintroduction programme.
Two years later, 35 captive birds were chipped, quarantined and rehabilitated in specialist nurseries, where they learned how to socialise with other macaws and adapt to life in the wild. Then they were released into a large area of regenerated forest in southern Bahia, containing artificial feeders and nest boxes.
To avoid stressing the birds, the nest sites were monitored remotely. Then in April, two chicks poked their heads out of one of the boxes. “It was a very special moment,” says project coordinator Ligia Ilg.
By the time Ilg visited the site, the youngsters had already left the nest to explore the surroundings. “Seeing the chicks flying well, being fed by their parents and beginning to forage independently was incredibly emotional,” they say.
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The story is a double success because it shows also that captive macaws can be successfully returned to the wild. In this case, the adults were rehomed from private owners and from illegal wildlife seizures. Some had been in captivity for more than 25 years.
"The idea that wild macaws kept in captivity prefer human company is a myth,” says Ilg. Given the chance and the freedom, they can still play a successful role in the conservation of their natural ecosystems.
Top image: Red-and-green macaws in Brazil. Credit: ImageBROKER/Hermann Brehm/Getty Images
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