Yellow-crowned Amazon

Overview

The yellow-crowned amazon (Amazona ochrocephala) is a species of parrot native to tropical South America, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. It is a member of the Amazona genus, a group of around thirty parrot species whose name derives from the 18th-century belief that they were native to Amazonian jungles. The taxonomy of this complex is highly debated, with some authorities treating related yellow-headed and yellow-naped forms as separate species.

Identification

• Primarily green plumage with a short, squarish tail and a white eye-ring.
• The amount of yellow on the head varies by subspecies, ranging from restricted to the crown-region to covering most of the head in xantholaema.
• A dark bill featuring a large horn or reddish spot on the upper mandible, though the panamensis subspecies has a fully horn-coloured beak.
• Dark blue tips to the secondaries and primaries, along with a red wing speculum and carpal edge that are often difficult to see when the bird is perched.

Habitat

This bird inhabits tropical forests, both humid and dry, as well as woodlands, mangroves, savannas, and occasionally cultivated land or suburban areas. Its range spans the Amazon basin and Guianas, with additional populations in northwestern South America and Panama. While mainly a lowland bird, it has been recorded up to 800 m along the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Diet

Yellow-crowned amazons forage in pairs or small flocks, though larger groups may gather at clay licks. Their diet consists of fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, blossoms, and leaf buds, with a particular fondness for maize and cultivated fruits. Foods containing high levels of sugar and salt can be dangerous to them.

Did you know?

A wild colony of around 60 yellow-crowned amazons has been living in Stuttgart, Germany, since the mid-1980s. The specific name ochrocephala is a combination of the Ancient Greek words for 'pale yellow' and '-headed', referencing the bird's distinctive crown colouring.