08/27/2026
Meet Cobi, a young, completely wild Military Macaw (Ara militaris) from Zapopan, Mexico, who appears to have self-appointed himself supervisor of our partners at Fundación Ornitológica TXORI’s rehabilitation programme and pre-release aviary.
Cobi first appeared at TXORI in 2020, calling to the macaws from the surrounding trees. According to Víctor Busteros, Director of Fundación Ornitológica TXORI, curiosity gradually got the better of him and he began venturing closer, eventually becoming a regular visitor.
Then, after disappearing for several months, Cobi returned the following spring with a flock of wild Military Macaw friends.
Since then, he has continued to come and go entirely on his own terms. Sometimes he stays for days, sometimes only a few hours, but when he visits, he can often be found watching the macaws, calling back and forth with them and keeping a very close eye on proceedings.
Víctor now recognises Cobi entirely by his behaviour: the tree he lands in, the way he approaches the aviary and even how comfortable he is staying nearby while food is being prepared. No ID band, just a very familiar personality.
Whether those squawks are encouragement to the macaws or instructions to the team, we’ll leave that to Cobi.
For Víctor, Cobi is much more than a macaw: he considers him a CHANEQUE, an entity connected to the forest and a protector of his environment – a living reminder of what the TXORI team is working to preserve.
The macaws Cobi is visiting have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and are now being rehabilitated for release. The newly built pre-release aviary gives them an important space to prepare for life beyond human care before taking that next step, hopefully flying free alongside wild Military Macaws like Cobi and his flock.
Macaws are highly social birds, communicating constantly with one another and forming strong flock relationships. We can’t know exactly how Cobi and his flock will interact with released birds in the future, but seeing wild macaws choosing to visit and communicate with those preparing for release is incredibly encouraging.
Cobi doesn’t belong to TXORI. He belongs to the wild.
But he does seem determined to make sure the TXORI team are taking good care of the macaws who may soon be sharing his neighbourhood.
The World Parrot Trust is proud to support TXORI’s rehabilitation and release work through the Parrot Conservation Grant, funded jointly with Natural Encounters, Inc. (NEI), which supported the construction of the pre-release aviary.
Thank you Victor & TXORI for sharing this story with us 💚
https://www.parrots.org/
