Blue macaw parrot extinct in wild, study concludes

The blue macaw parrot known as a Spix’s macaw has gone extinct in the wild, according to a new study from BirdLife International.

Native to Brazil, the species, known for its sharp blue coloration, exists only in captivity, the study found.

{mosads}The bird, which was the subject of the 2011 animated film “Rio,” has gone extinct in the wild due to deforestation, according to the organization. The species nests in now-rare 200- to 300-year-old caraibeira trees, where other invasive species, including predators, also live.

Some of the birds still survive in special breeding programs, according to CBS News.

The species was considered under threat of habitat extinction as far back as the 1980s. A book, “Spix’s Macaw: The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Bird,” was published by author Tony Juniper in 2002 in an attempt to spur public support for conservation efforts to save the species.