‘A dream come true’: Brazil’s blue-and-yellow macaws return to Rio after 200 years | Birds

IMagi of the iconic blue and yellow macaw can be seen all over Rio de Janeiro. Yet the actual object was so rarely seen in the Brazilian city that some questioned whether it actually existed there.

French explorer Jean de Léry was the first to describe the abundance of giant, colorful parrots around indigenous tribes in the 16th century, and Austrian naturalist Johann Natterer sighted the abundance of these giant, colorful parrots around indigenous tribes in the 16th century. Ara ararauna in the city in 1818.

After that, the file becomes blank. Experts say the species has almost certainly become extinct due to deforestation, as have the tapirs, jaguars and peccaries that once roamed the forests surrounding the city.

Now, 200 years later, flashes of blue and gold once again dot the forest canopy as biologists bring the species – and the forest – back to life.

“They are so magnificent. It’s no surprise that all visitors constantly ask how they can see them,” says Viviane Lasmar, director of Tijuca National Park. “For me, as park manager, it’s special. But even more so as a carioca [someone from Rio]. It’s a dream come true.

Tijuca is one of the largest urban parks in the world. Its nearly 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of green canopy covers Rio’s rugged granite mountains, hugging the concrete city limits closely.

This lush remnant of Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest appears wild and remarkably untouched. But exploitation of products such as coffee and charcoal in the 19th century decimated the forest. In what many consider one of the world’s first tropical reforestation initiatives, Emperor Dom Pedro II ordered the replanting of trees in Tijuca in the 1860s, but many species had already disappeared. The blue-and-yellow macaw has been one of the victims of this deforestation, its colorful plumage also making it a popular target for wildlife traffickers.

“They probably disappeared [in Rio] because of the wildlife trade and deforestation during European colonization,” says Marcelo Rheingantz, executive director of Refauna, who estimates that two-thirds of the large and medium-sized mammals that once lived in Tijuca were also lost.

But one by one, these animals return to the forest. For the first time in centuries, giant rodents slink through the undergrowth, yellow-footed tortoises stroll languidly, and howler monkeys swing in the trees, their howling calls echoing for miles.

Only four macaws have been brought back so far, but it sounds like dozens when their aggressive cries pierce the rainforest canopy. “It’s really nice to recreate the forest orchestra,” says Rheingantz with a broad smile.

Refauna began restoring the rainforest through its “refaunation” program, introducing the red-rumped agouti – a long-legged rodent the size of a cat – in 2010, followed by other species that exist elsewhere in Brazil but have disappeared in the park. These include the brown howler monkey, probably last recorded in Rio in Charles Darwin’s Beagle journal in 1832, and the yellow-footed tortoise.

All reintroductions have brought excitement and new visitors to the park, but none are as beloved as the macaws. The large parrots, measuring almost a meter long, found in other parts of Brazil and South America, are said to be intelligent and mate with their partner for life. The blue and yellow macaw adorns artwork, T-shirts and tote bags throughout the city and beyond, its colors echoing the country’s national flag.

The hero of the hit film Rio was a brave macaw trying to save the last of his species – although Rheingantz is quick to point out that it was the Spix’s macaw, endemic to northeastern Brazil.

“Now we are correcting the story and putting the correct species here,” he says with a laugh.

So far, three females and one male have been brought to the park and are currently back in their enclosure for monitoring after being released for 15 days earlier this year. Refauna plans to release them again in September.

“The release planned for September is an important step in the process, but not necessarily the last. All individuals will continue to be monitored and recapture can take place if necessary,” explains Rheingantz.

The macaws, Fernanda, Selton, Fatima and Sueli – named after the actors of the Oscar-winning film I’m Still Here and the characters of the popular Brazilian sitcom Slaps and Kisses – all have distinct personalities, according to the Refauna team, with the mischievous Sueli, who destroys almost everything she touches, a particular favorite.

Six more macaws will soon be brought to the park, and Refauna plans to eventually release 50. The sight of a mosaic of gold and blue sweeping the sky would be spectacular, but the project is aimed at saving the forest rather than creating a spectacle, says Vanessa Kanaan, director of the Instituto Fauna Brasil.

“Reintroducing species is not simply about bringing animals back into the forest. It is about rebuilding ecological relationships and ensuring that these species can once again fulfill their ecological roles,” explains the biologist.

As with rewilding projects around the world, the Refauna team is constantly surprised by how the return of a single species can trigger changes that ripple across the entire ecosystem. “That’s a great example,” Rheingantz said, bending down and picking up a particular avocado-like fruit.

Joannesia princepspopularly known as agouti fruit, was the main symptom of “empty forest syndrome”, which triggered the creation of Refauna. The agouti tree drops its fruit to entice animals to eat it and disperse the seeds, but without the agouti rodents, the forest floor was covered in rotten fruit.

In some parts of the Atlantic Forest, 90% of the flora depends on animals to spread its seeds.

By reintroducing species, researchers hope to gradually bring the entire forest back to life. The agouti’s sharp teeth can crack the toughest nuts, making it a super seed disperser, while the large droppings of howler monkeys provide moisture and shade for germinating seeds, which are then rolled up by dung beetles to use as a nursery for their larvae.

In English, the agouti nut is sometimes called a macaw nut – and it is hoped the birds can also help penetrate some of the forest’s toughest seeds with their powerful beaks. Unlike agoutis, macaws can travel dozens of kilometers per day, carrying seeds everywhere.

“They can also help regenerate other forests by collecting Tijuca seeds from outside the park,” explains Luisa Genes, scientific director of Refauna.

The success of macaws will depend on their ability to adapt in the wild. The birds were rescued from captivity and the team spent months training them for their new freedom, encouraging them to fly to rebuild their muscles after years spent sedentary in cages and feeding them native fruits so they learned to recognize them.

The biggest threat to the birds is their beauty: the park receives 5 million visitors a year and their vibrant colors will make them the center of attention. Macaws are very social and their time in captivity has made this group particularly curious.

Refauna’s team tries to discourage them from giving up their old habits by brandishing red sticks and shouting every time they interact with people. In recent weeks, they have covered the enclosure with foliage to prevent the birds from looking at their human companions through the cage.

“Maybe it works a little?” “, declares Matheus Sette e Camara, a 27-year-old biologist from Refauna, rather skeptical.

They also educate visitors about the dangers of feeding birds.

If all goes according to plan, Refauna looks forward to the moment when the sky above the park will once again be alive with blue and yellow lightning.

“The macaw is really a symbol of our efforts to bring Tijuca back to life,” Rheingantz says. “My dream is that one day they will fly far away from here and we can see them from all over town. »