Blue-and-Yellow Macaws Reintroduced to Rio de Janeiro After Two Centuries

After a 200-year absence, blue-and-yellow macaws have returned to Rio de Janeiro's Tijuca National Park thanks to Refauna, a conservation project focused on reintroducing native species. Four birds—three females and one male, named Fernanda, Selton, Fatima, and Sueli—were released in 2026. The macaws were confiscated from illegal owners and underwent retraining to rebuild muscles, recognize native fruits, and avoid human bonding. The last recorded sighting in the area was in 1818 by naturalist Johann Natterer; extinction was attributed to wildlife trade and deforestation during European colonization. Refauna aims to reintroduce 50 birds by 2030. The project is part of broader efforts that previously reintroduced red-rumped agoutis (2010), brown howler monkeys, and yellow-footed tortoises. Visitors are instructed not to approach or feed the birds, which wear collars, leg bands, and microchips for monitoring. Marcelo Rheingantz, executive director of Refauna, and Vanessa Kanaan, director of Instituto Fauna Brasil, emphasized the ecological role of macaws in seed dispersal. Viviane Lasmar, director of Tijuca National Park, noted the symbolic return of macaws to a UNESCO World Heritage city.