The Spix Macaw, rarest bird in the world went nearly extinct in the wild in the 1990s due mainly to poachers. There was one remaining parrot in the wild and DNA from a molted feather confirmed that this parrot was male.
At this time there were fewer than a dozen parrots in private collections or zoos. Conservationists decided to release one female near the last sighting of the male in hopes they’d meet, mate and successfully raise chicks.
The female seemed to do well in the wild and after a few months they paired. Unfortunately, shortly after that she disappeared. The wild male vanished a few years later, sealing the fate for the Spix Macaws.
Twenty-five years later, conservationists are attempting to bring the Spix Macaws back into the wild. The are releasing mating pairs slowly. If things go well (and they can keep the poachers at bay), the hope is to bring the Spix Macaws back from extinction.
Read more at Science Magazine: “A Wild Hope” – 9 June 2022