On the 14th, July 2006, the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), owned by HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Mohammad Bin Ali Al-Thani, successfully hatched their first Lear’s Macaw (Anodorhynchus leari) chick. AWWP keeps four pairs of Lear’s Macaws, which have been on loan from the Brazilian Government since 2004. The species has proven challenging to breed in captivity and until this most recent hatching, the species had not officially been successfully bred since 1984. The breeding pair at AWWP laid a clutch of three eggs, two of which were fertile. The fertile egg which did not hatch died very early in development and could only be determined as being fertile during an egg necropsy.

AWWP’s Lear’s Macaw breeding program is part of an international effort, in cooperation with the Brazilian Governments Natural Heritage Department (IBAMA), to establish a viable captive population as part of the conservation efforts to secure the long-term future of this critically endangered species. AWWP’s successful breeding of a Lear’s Macaw represents the first offspring bred as part of the official IBAMA initiated captive breeding program. This reproductive breakthrough will provide important breeding data to the other institutions participating in the program and will hopefully contribute to further breeding success with the species.

Lear’s Macaw chick 1 day old

Lear’s Macaw chick 8 days old

Lear’s Macaw chick 22 days old