Yellow-headed Amazon

Overview

The yellow-headed amazon (Amazona oratrix), also known as the yellow-headed parrot, is an endangered parrot native to Mexico and northern Central America. It is a member of the Amazona ochrocephala complex and is considered a popular pet, though its wild populations have been severely reduced by poaching and habitat destruction.

Identification

• Measures 38–43 cm in length with a stocky build, rounded wings, and a square tail.
• Bright green body with a yellow head; the extent of yellow varies by subspecies, ranging from just the crown to the crown, nape, and upper chest.
• Features dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing and base of the tail, and yellow thighs.
• Bill is horn-coloured (grey), often darker in immature Belizean birds; eye rings are whitish in Mexican populations and greyish elsewhere.

Habitat

Prefers riparian forests, areas with scattered trees, mangroves, and evergreen forests, particularly in Belize. Its range historically covered both coastal slopes of Mexico from the Tres Marías Islands to Oaxaca and northern Central America, including Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, though numbers have declined drastically. Introduced populations exist in parts of the United States, Germany, and Puerto Rico.

Did you know?

Wild birds often fly silently, unlike many other parrots, and can produce low-pitched, human-sounding screams. They are among the best 'talkers' in the parrot world, with vocal abilities generally bested only by the grey parrot.