Yet another barrage of bad luck has struck the last remaining Spix’s macaw in the wild. A significant number of the super-rare, sky-blue parrots have tested positive for a highly contagious and fatal viral disease, marking a heartbreaking setback for the species' rehabilitation. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The infected birds are part of the Spix's Macaw Reintroduction Program, a bold initiative led by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) that’s aiming to restore this spectacular species to its native Brazilian habitat in Curaçá after decades of absence.

The Spix’s macaws ( Cyanopsitta spixii ) are a brilliantly blue species of parrot once native to the dry tropical forests of northeas

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