Famous Brazilian macaw now extinct in the wild, according to study

In 2011, throngs of people around the world flocked to cinemas to watch “Rio”, the charming animated adventure-comedy film starring the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway. Viewers were left enamored by the lead characters Blu and Jewel, two endangered Spix’s macaws who fall in love against all odds. Fans of the film, then, will be saddened to know that the Spix’s macaw is now extinct in the wild, according to a recent study by BirdLife International.

While there are still an estimated 60 to 80 Spix’s macaws living in captivity, the study is worrying news, particularly as other Brazilian bird species have now been deemed completely extinct. The Alagoas Foliage-gleaner and cryptic treehunter, both endemic to northeastern Brazil are now considered extinct, and the study points towards deforestation as being among the main culprits.

The BirdLife International study examined 61 bird species included on the...