Virus Threatens Comeback of World’s Rarest Blue Macaw in Brazil

The Spix’s macaw, a stunning blue bird once declared extinct in the wild, is facing a new crisis that could derail its remarkable comeback story. Seven of these critically endangered parrots at a reintroduction site in Brazil’s Caatinga region have tested positive for circovirus, a highly contagious disease that causes feather loss, beak deformities, and can be fatal.

The outbreak was discovered in May at the breeding center in Curaçá, Bahia state, operated by BlueSky, the organization leading efforts to return these magnificent birds to their native habitat. Among the infected birds is one chick born in the wild – a particularly devastating blow to the recovery program. The disease, which has no known cure, causes the birds’ signature brilliant blue feathers to turn white and malform.

What makes this outbreak especially alarming is that circovirus has never before been detected in wild birds in Brazil or anywhere else in South America. The virus is native to Australia, raising questions about how it reached this remote corner of northeastern Brazil’s dry shrublands.

The Spix’s macaw’s story is one of conservation’s most ambitious rescue missions. After the last wild bird disappeared in 2000, the species survived only in private collections and zoos worldwide. Through careful breeding programs, conservationists have been working to rebuild the population and return these iconic birds to the wild. This viral outbreak now threatens to undo years of painstaking progress, highlighting the fragile nature of species recovery efforts and the unexpected challenges that can emerge even in the most carefully managed conservation programs.