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Amazon Parrots

Written by Deb White . Posted in Parrot Species

pic amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon White-fronted Amazon Amazona leucocephala Palmitos Park Gran Canaria Spain upper body 8a Red-lored Amazon
Mealy Amazon Lilac-crowned AmazonAmazona amazonica 1 Yellow-naped Amazon

Double Yellow AmazonAmazon parrots are very beautiful and intelligent birds recognized for their talking and singing abilities. Amazons are typically show-offs and love to be the center of attention! These parrots are also known to have very outgoing and sometimes stubborn personalities.

As pets amazon parrots are very loyal, however, they require a lot of attention, nurturing, guidance and training to keep them from developing undesirable behaviors, like biting and screaming. Amazon parrots love to chew, so they need lots of destructible toys to satisfy their natural instincts.

There are about thirty amazon species that are commonly recognized and many sub-species. Two of the most popular species kept as pets are the Double Yellow-headed and Yellow-naped Amazons.

Amazon parrots are mostly green with other brightly colored patches depending on the species. In general, amazons can vary in size from 10 - 18 inches in length and they have short, square-like tails.

Where do they come from?

amazon mapMost amazon parrots originate from South and Central America but some species are also native to North America (Mexico) and the Caribbean.

The native amazon habitat varies from lowland rainforests to interior highland forests. Their habitat can also change depending on the season of the year.

In the wild, amazon parrots are known to be very strong fliers, able to travel long distances at high altitudes.

Amazons prefer to sleep and feed in the tree tops. They make their nests by chewing cavities into trees!

An amazon parrot's diet in the wild consists mainly of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, blossoms and leaf buds. They have very strong beaks and can easily crack open the hardest of nuts!

The wild population of amazon parrots is classified as threatened primarily due to the loss of habitat because of deforestation. Additionally, illegal trapping has contributed to the decline in population for many amazon species.

Listen to Red Lored Amazons in the wild:

Amazona autumnalis
    © 2015 Cornell University

View a video of a flock of Yellow-crowned amazons landing on river rocks:

Source: ibc.lynxeds.com

View a video of a flock of Blue-fronted amazons preening and playing:

 

 

There are many amazon parrot species. To see more pictures and obtain information about a specific species click on the links below:

Common Name

Origin

Genus/Species
Blue-fronted Amazon

Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguayand Argentina

Amazona aestiva
Black-billed Amazon

Jamaica

Amazona agilis

White-fronted Amazon

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua

Amazona albifrons
Orange-winged Amazon South America Amazona amazonica
Red-necked Amazon Dominica Amazona arausiaca
Red-lored Amazon Central and South America Amazona autumnalis
Yellow-shouldered Amazon Netherlands Antilles, Venezuela Amazona barbadensis
Red-tailed Amazon SE Brazil Amazona brasiliensis
Yellow-billed Amazon Jamaica Amazona collaria
Blue-cheeked Amazon French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil Amazona dufresniana
Mealy Amazon Mexico, Central and South America Amazona farinosa
Festive Amazon Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela Amazona festiva
Lilac-crowned Amazon Mexico Amazona finschi
St. Vincent Amazon Caribbean Island of St. Vincent Amazona guildingii
Imperial Amazon Dominica Amazona imperialis
Cuban Amazon Cuba, Bahamas, Cayman Islands Amazona leucocephala
Yellow-crowned Amazon South America and Panama Amazona ochrocephala
Yellow-naped Amazon Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua Amazona ochrocephala aurophalliata
Yellow-headed Amazon Belize, Guatemala, Mexico Amazona oratrix
Red-spectacled Amazon Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay Amazona pretrei
Red-browed Amazon East Brazil Amazona rhodocorytha
Tucuman Parrot Aregentina and Bolivia Amazona tucumana
Hispaniolan Amazonispaniolan Amazon Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands Amazona ventralis
St. Lucia Amazon Saint Lucia Amazona versicolor
Vinaceous Amazon  Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay Amazona vinacea
Red-crowned Amazon Mexico, Puerto Rico and US (introduced to) Amazona viridigenalis
Puerto Rican Amazon Puerto Rico Amazona vittata
Yellow-lored Amazon Beize, Honduras and Mexico Amazona xantholora

 
  • Christopher Columbus saw amazon parrots during his exploration of the New World and brought a pair of Cuban Amazon parrots back to Europe as a gift for Queen Isabella.
  • Amazon parrots are recognized as the parrots with the best singing talents.
  • When amazon parrots were first discovered they were called "kriken" which comes from the French word for "screechers".
  • When an amazon parrot is fanning its tail, dialating its eyes and raising the feathers on the back of its head then you better watch out or risk being bitten!
  • Famous people who have owned amazon parrots include Elizabeth Taylor and Steven Spielberg.
  • The Yellow-naped Amazon is the national bird of the Honduras.
  • The Imperial Amazon is the national bird of Dominica.
  • The St. Vincent Amazon is the national bird of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
  • The Cuban Amazon is the national bird of the Cayman Islands.
  • The St. Lucian Amazon is the national bird of St. Lucia.
  • Cuba and The Dominican Republic are two countries that have had amazon parrots on stamps:
stamp Amazon1 stamp Amazon2

(source: bird-stamps.org)

  • Amazon parrots have been featured on coins in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and St. Lucia:
coin Bahamas coin Belize YCA coin Jamaica coin SaintLucia
  • The national flag of Dominica features the Sisserou Parrot (Amazona imperialis) of which only about 200 still exist in the wild.

DominicaFlag

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