Rare Blue Macaws Infected with Deadly Circovirus in Brazilian Breeding Center
Eleven rare blue macaws—Cyanopsitta spixii, or ararinhas-azuis—have tested positive for circovirus at a breeding center in Curaçá, Bahia, Brazil. The center, run by the Brazilian company BlueSky in partnership with the German Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP), is part of an international program working to restore the species, which has been extinct in the wild since 2000 due to habitat destruction and illegal trafficking.
Only about 200 blue macaws exist worldwide, all living in captivity. The last known wild individual disappeared in 2000. In recent conservation efforts, 52 birds were brought back to Brazil from Europe in 2020, and a group was released into a protected area in Curaçá in 2022.
The circovirus outbreak was first identified in May 2024, leading authorities to recapture the affected birds in early November.
Circovirus causes Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)—a severe condition characterized by abnormal feather coloration, feather loss, and beak deformities. The virus is incurable and often deadly for parrots, though it poses no threat to humans or poultry and is believed to have originated in Australia.
An investigation by Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), alongside the Bahia State Environmental Institute (INEMA) and the Federal Police, found major biosecurity failures at the facility. Inspectors reported dirty feeders with dried feces, inadequate daily cleaning protocols, and staff handling birds while wearing casual clothing such as flip-flops and shorts. As a result, ICMBio fined BlueSky R$1.8 million (about $320,000 USD) and launched an emergency response to contain the spread. All 103 birds at the facility have now been separated into infected and uninfected groups.
According to ICMBio’s climate emergencies and epizootics coordinator, Claudia Sacramento, stricter adherence to established protocols could have limited the outbreak to a single bird.
Investigators are still working to determine the source of the virus amid concerns that it could endanger other parrot species in the region.
Circovirus is not zoonotic and cannot infect humans.
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