A Spix's Macaw, the bird that inspired the character in the movie Rio, has reappeared in Brazil 15 years after it was thought to be extinct in the wild.

On June 18th the blue macaw was identified by at least six people on various occasions near the city of Curaçá, in Bahia. One of them actually made a video of the bird flying and making sounds.

In the Organization's official announcement, Pedro Develey says, "The first person to see the Spix's Macaw was Nauto Sergio Oliveira, a subsistence farmer… who told his neighbors."

The following day, Lourdes Oliveira and her daughther Damylis saw the endangered bird at 6:20 in the morning and managed to record on Damyli's mobile (see below). The excitement among Curaçá's residents was palpable because the bird had not been seen in Brazil since 2000, in that same region. The species is now maintained through a captive breeding program at several conservation organizations under the aegis of the Brazilian government.

For the next week residents will be helping researchers from another important organization, the Chico Mendes Institute (ICMBio), with the efforts to locate the bird and gather more information.

Develey believes the bird was kept as a captive pet and recently released to avoid punishment or fines, because environmental laws are being more vigorously enforced.

"Besides, if this bird was around for longer our video traps would have registered it already," the director told Brazilian media outlet, O Estado de S. Paulo. "The fact is the bird is flying in his natural habitat and that's amazing."

(WATCH the video re-posted on YouTube)

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