80+
Red-browed Amazons bred
30+
Years of program management
3
Species programs active
2025
First red-brow release in Alagoas
LATEST
20 Red-browed Amazons released into the wild in Alagoas, Brazil — January 2025
Species Programs
IN CAPTIVITY
RSCF holds the only known breeding group of Red-browed Amazons in North America. Starting from just 11 founding individuals, the colony has grown to 80+ birds across three generations — including, in 2015, the first fully parent-reared offspring, proving that hand-raised adults retain natural parental instincts.
11
Founding birds
80+
Colony today
3rd Gen
Captive offspring
IN THE FIELD
FAST FACTS
Wild population estimate
Range
Primary Threats
RSCF Colony (N. America)
IUCN Status
600–1,700 individuals
Atlantic Forest, SE Brazil
Habitat loss, pet trade
Only known group
Vulnerable
Twenty red-browed amazons were reintroduced into a 1,000-hectare forest reserve in Coruripe, Alagoas — a state where the species had been locally extinct. More animals, including the Alagoas curassow, will follow in coming months.
JANUARY 2025 MILESTONE
Current field priorities include:
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Locate and census additional wild populations
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Protect forest habitat outside reserves in Rio de Janeiro
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Enforce anti-trafficking laws near Monte Pascoal National Park
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Map current distribution and identify conservation priority areas
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Research nesting, diet, and home range requirements
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Study the impact of forest fragmentation on population structure
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Develop community education programs
Partners: Zoo Curitiba, Ideia Ambiental, IBAMA/ICMBio, Higgins Premium Pet Foods
RECOVERY HISTORY
Centuries of deforestation reduced golden lion tamarins to just a few hundred individuals in fragmented forest near Rio de Janeiro. An intensive reintroduction program starting in 1984 grew the population to around 4,800 by 2022/2023, marking one of conservation's most celebrated primate comebacks.
Then in 2018, yellow fever killed an estimated 32% of the population, leaving approximately 2,516 individuals — a stark reminder that recovery is never finished.
200
Historic low population
-32%
Lost to yellow fever
~4,800
Estimated remaining
The closely related golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas), endemic to the southern Bahia region of Brazil, faces the same compounding threats: severe habitat loss from one of the most heavily deforested stretches of the Atlantic Forest, collection for the illegal pet trade, and increasing exposure to yellow fever. Though its range differs from the golden lion tamarin's, the two species share a precarious future shaped by the same forces.
CURRENT FOCUS
Wild population estimate
Range
Primary threats
RSCF involvement
IUCN status
Approx 4,800 individuals
Atlantic Forest, near Rio de Janeiro
Deforestation, yellow fever
30+ years
Endangered
FAST FACTS
The future of lion tamarins hinges on whether surviving animals develop immunity and whether a protective vaccine can be developed. RSCF has supported tamarin recovery for over 30 years, contributing to breeding management and habitat protection in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.
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Monitor population recovery following yellow fever losses
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Support yellow fever vaccine development research
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Protect and reconnect remaining forest fragments
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Manage genetic diversity across captive populations
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Continue long-term collaboration with Save the Golden Lion Tamarin
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Partners: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Save the Golden Lion Tamarin
OUR COLONY AND RESEARCH
Since 1986, RSCF has maintained one of North America's largest and longest-running breeding colonies of pygmy marmosets. Our ongoing study, with daily video monitoring of family groups and breeding pairs, focuses on diet, husbandry, and the social dynamics of extended family life.
What we learn here directly informs care standards and conservation planning for this species across institutions worldwide. Habitat loss from deforestation, mining, and oil palm cultivation, combined with the pet trade, continue to threaten wild populations throughout the western Amazon Basin.
SPECIES PROFILE
Weight
Distinction
Diet Specialty
Range
IUCN status
~100 g (3.5oz)
World's smallest true monkey
Tree gum (gummivore)
Western Amazon Basin
Vulnerable
FAST FACTS
