Spix's Macaw: the Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird.

The brilliant-blue Spix's macaw is an icon of endangered species. The threats to it have come in the form of human greed, deforestation, and politics. As of late last century, the few remaining birds fetched up to $40,000 each on the black market. Gram for gram, that's more expensive than heroin or illicit weapons. Juniper is a fervent advocate for the Spix's macaw. He charts the species' history in the company of people, beginning with its discovery in the woodlands of Brazil in 1817. Stunning avian creatures such as the Spix's macaw and other blue parrots drive a rare-bird trade that began in Victorian times and thrives today despite decimation of bird populations. Juniper's story wraps up by following a lone male Spix's macaw--the last known wild specimen--around the world as it is taken to attempted matings with female birds in captivity. After years of trying, there has been no success, Jupiter reports, because these birds crave companionship as much as sex. Originally published in Great Britain in 2002. Atria, 2003, 287 p., color plates, hardcover, $25.00.