Lilac-crowned Amazon

Overview

The lilac-crowned amazon (Amazona finschi), also known as Finsch's amazon, is a parrot endemic to the Pacific slopes of Mexico. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a population decline of 20% recorded due to habitat loss.

Identification

• Primarily green plumage with yellowish underparts and black edging, except for the greenish yellow cheeks and ear coverts which lack edging.
• A maroon forehead and a violet-blue crown, nape, and neck, with amber irises in adults.
• Dark blue primary feathers, green secondary feathers tipped with dark blue, and a bright red speculum on the initial five secondary feathers.
• A pale brown-grey beak, orbital rings, and legs.

Habitat

The species is endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico, ranging from southeastern Sonora and southwestern Chihuahua down to southern Oaxaca. Elevation preferences vary by region, remaining above 375 meters in Sinaloa and northern Nayarit before descending to sea level in southern Nayarit, Jalisco, and Oaxaca. A growing population of approximately 100 individuals has established itself in Southern California, particularly in the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, where they are found in residential areas and occasionally in native conifer forests or non-native captive plants.

Did you know?

Although not known as talkers, hand-reared lilac-crowned amazons can learn quite a vocabulary and make good companion parrots.