As It Should Be by Emily Leary. All Rights Reserved.

This acrylic painting on canvas depicts a critically endangered Spix’s Macaw. This species of bird once inhabited Brazil, but now there are none currently existing in the wild due to habitat loss and capture for the use of the birds as pets. Within my painting, I have shown a Spix’s Macaw within its natural habitat of the rainforests of Brazil. It is perched within a Tabebuia tree, which is another native species of the forests and a home for the Spix’s Macaw.

I chose to paint a Spix’s Macaw because it is a beautiful species that has been devastatingly taken from its habitat. Through my painting I wish to convey the importance of the birds being reintroduced to their natural home, and the imperative prevention of deforestation and habitat loss for all species. By showing how the Spix’s Macaw should live, I hope to encourage others to try to help save these beautiful creatures and not support the destruction of the species and its habitat.