yellow-headed amazon

Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix)

In the photo: yellow-headed Amazon. Photo: wikimedia.org

Appearance of yellow-headed Amazon

The yellow-headed Amazon is a short-tailed parrot with a body length of 36 – 38 cm and an average weight of about 500 grams. Both males and females of the yellow-headed Amazon are colored the same. The main body color is grassy green. On the head is a yellow “mask” to the back of the head. Some individuals have blotches of yellow feathers all over their bodies. On the shoulders are red-orange spots, turning into yellow. The tail also has reddish feathers. The periorbital ring is white, the eyes are orange, the paws are gray, and the beak is pink-gray.

There are 5 known subspecies of the yellow-headed Amazon, differing in color elements and habitat.

With the right care yellow-headed amazon lifespan – about 50 – 60 years.

Habitat and life in nature of the yellow-headed Amazon

The yellow-headed Amazon lives in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Belize. The world wild population numbers about 7000 individuals. The species suffers from loss of natural habitats and poaching. They live in deciduous and evergreen forests, edges, savannahs, in dense dense forests, less often in mangroves and other coastal thickets. Sometimes they visit agricultural lands.

The diet of the yellow-headed Amazon includes buds, young leaves, palm fruits, seeds of acacias, figs and other cultivated crops.

Birds usually stay in pairs or small flocks, especially during watering and feeding.

In the photo: yellow-headed Amazon. Photo: flickr.com

Reproduction of the yellow-headed Amazon

The nesting season of the yellow-headed Amazon in the south falls on February-May, in the north it lasts until June. The female lays 2 – 4, usually 3 eggs in the nest. They nest in hollows of trees.

The female yellow-headed Amazon incubates the clutch for about 26 days.

Yellow-headed Amazon chicks leave the nest at 9 weeks of age. For a few more months, parents feed young birds.