On May 8, 2013, a research team from Texas A&M, led by Drs. Christopher Seabury and Ian Tizard at the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, announced that they had successfully sequenced the complete genome of a Scarlet macaw.

There are 23 species of macaws, and some of these have already become extinct while others are endangered. The Schubot Center at Texas A&M is dedicated to studies on disease and conservation of exotic birds, both in captivity and in the wild.