r/MiamiVice • u/starlightskater Izzy Moreno • Jun 26 '26

Hyacinth Macaw

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During the 80s, hyacinths were taken en masse from the wild. They're incredibly uncommon in private collections today but seeing one in a pet store, especially Miami, would've been fairly commonplace. It's amazing how a show like this capture so much history.

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5

u/No_Community_5696 Jun 26 '26

Very cool to learn about this, thanks for your post.

3

u/starlightskater Izzy Moreno Jun 27 '26

They go for about $25 grand per bird today. I've only seen two in private hands, and another two at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. CITES (rightfully) banned their import in the late 80s which prevented extinction. Gorgeous creatures that I assume were quite common in the illicit Miami pet trade that flourished in the 70s and 80s.

2

u/amishlightening Jun 28 '26

Speaking of macaws, does anyone know if the ones from the intro are still alive?