#blue macaw

Three Blue Macaws, 1909

Jewel

Poll result from November on https://www.patreon.com/joaopereiracreations https://subscribestar.adult/joao-pereira-creations

The only wild specimens of a rare blue parrot, which were recently returned to their natural habitat, have been diagnosed with an incurable, likely lethal virus, Brazil's government told AFP Thursday. The disease strikes a major blow to a program seeking to return the Spix's macaw—featured in the 2011 animated film "Rio"—to its semi-arid natural habitat in northeast Brazil, 25 years after they were declared extinct in the wild.

Okay, here's the context for this one.

Recently, I read a fanfic called Blindly Steering in the Dust by Rosemary_frog on Ao3. It's about Lake becoming a fan of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches during a zoo visit.

I LOVED the idea of Lake being a fan of the creepy or "gross" animals others don't like as much, and realized I wanted to do fan art depicting something similar to the fic. But then, my love for the RIO movies by Bluesky (RIP) hijacked my autism once again, and I couldn't stop thinking about the Spix Macaw.

Although they're officially declared Extinct in the Wild (EW) by the IUCN Red List, surviving populations of these beautiful blue birds still exist in captivity (as far as I know). Because of that, I started mentally relating them to Lake's story of no longer being in the "wild" she comes from (the Train), but still surviving and thriving in her own way.

And thus, this piece set in an Endangered Species Aviary was born!

Blue Macaw, La Marquesa Forest Park Guaynabo PR.

Little blue macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)

formely found in the forests of northeastern Brazil

population decline driven by colonial habitat destruction & degradation, introduction of invasive species, and the bird trade

last reliably sighted in 2000, and declared extinct in the wild by 2019

a small flock was released back into their native habitat in 2022, and were observed to have successfully bred the following year, bringing hope back to their rainforest home

[Etna 1984]