Cuban amazon
Cuban amazon | |
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A. l. leucocephala in Cuba | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Psittaciformes |
Family: | Psittacidae |
Genus: | Amazona |
Species: | A. leucocephala
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Binomial name | |
Amazona leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Range in green | |
Synonyms | |
Psittacus leucocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Cuban amazon (Amazona leucocephala), also known as the Cuban parrot and the rose-throated parrot, is a medium-sized mainly green parrot found in woodlands and dry forests of Cuba, the Bahamas and Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.[1][3] Although they have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, they are probably the result of escaped pets, and no reproduction has been recorded.[4]
Taxonomy
The Cuban amazon was
Traditionally, most authorities have recognized four
- A. l. leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1758), also called the Cuban amazon. Present throughout Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud (formerly known as Isla de Pinos).
- A. l. bahamensis (extant populations in the Bahamas; one on the Abaco Islands and one on Great Inagua (with sightings from nearby Little Inagua). Extirpated populations were present on the Acklins and Crooked Islandsand possibly elsewhere in the Bahamas as well.
- A. l. caymanensis (Cory, 1886), also called the Grand Cayman amazon. Restricted to Grand Cayman Island.
- A. l. hesterna Bangs, 1916. Now restricted to the island of Cayman Brac, but formerly also on Little Cayman Island.
Another subspecies, A. l. palmarum (
Description
The Cuban amazon is a medium-sized parrot 28–33 centimetres (11–13 in) long.[22] It is mainly green with some blue feathers in its wings.[14] The green feathers are edged with a terminal black rim.[23] Its lower face, chin and throat are rosy pink, and its forehead and eye-rings are white.[14] The extent of the various colours of the head, the extent of the rosy pink on the upper chest, and the extent of the dull red on the abdomen vary between the subspecies.[3][23] Its irises are pale olive-green, its beak is horn-coloured, and the feathers over the ears are blackish.[23] The legs are pink.[23] The juvenile has little or no red on the abdomen, less black edging on the green feathers, and some of the feathers on the top of its head may be pale yellow rather than white.[23]
Distribution and habitat
The Cuban amazon lives in different habitats on different islands.[22] It was once found throughout Cuba, but it is now mainly confined to the forested areas of the main island and Isla de la Juventud. There are about 10,000 individuals in Cuba, including an estimated 1,100–1,320 on Isla de la Juventud.[1][3]
On the Cayman Islands the parrot lives in dry forest and on agricultural land. The population living on Grand Cayman numbers about 3,400 individuals (2006 survey), and the population on Cayman Brac consists of 400–500 individuals.[3] The population on Little Cayman was extirpated in the 1940s.[24]
The populations were estimated at 3,550 individuals on Abaco and 6,350 on Inagua in 2006.
Behavior
In the winter Cuban amazons gather in flocks, and disperse into pairs during the breeding season.[3]
Diet
The Cuban amazon feeds on a number of fruits and seeds including the fruits of palm trees and West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) seeds.[3]
Breeding
The breeding season is from March to September.
Status
Due to ongoing
Aviculture
The Cuban amazon was seldom-seen in aviculture outside of Cuba and Florida (where it was bred in captivity by Cuban immigrants) until the 1980s, and is considered one of the more difficult to breed amazon parrots, with aggressive behaviour from cock birds towards their mates and their own chicks a relatively common occurrence. The species is also a popular pet in Russia, as many pet parrots were brought back from Cuba by Russian soldiers following the collapse of the Soviet Union.[27] Despite increased availability in recent times, the Cuban amazon is still one of the highest-priced of all amazons. Several colour mutations have been observed in captive-bred stock.[28]
In the Cayman Islands, Cuban amazons (locally known as Cayman parrots) are sometimes removed from the wild and illegally kept as pets. In 2020, the authorities held an amnesty during which parrot owners could legally register their pets, which were then given health checks and fitted with microchips and leg bands in order to identify and distinguish them from wild birds. 326 parrots were registered during this amnesty.[29]
Gallery
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A. l. caymanensis, Grand Cayman
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A. l. caymanensis, Grand Cayman
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At Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria, Spain
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Two in a fruiting tree in Cuba
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rose-throated Parrot (Amazona leucocephala)". Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB). December 2006. Archived from the original on 2013-01-13.
- PMID 30397538.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 100.
- ^ Edwards, George (1751). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. 4. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 166, Plate 166.
- ^ Barbour, Thomas (1923). The Birds of Cuba. Memoirs of the Nuttall Ornithological Club: Number 6. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Nuttall Ornithological Club. p. 82.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 217.
- ^ Lesson, René (1831). Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: F.G. Levrault. p. 189.
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7136-8695-1
- ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8.
- ^ JSTOR 4076025.
- ^ a b c Ottens-Wainright, P.; et al. (2004). "Independent geographic origins of the genus Amazona in the West Indies" (PDF). Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 17: 23–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ Hayes, W. (2006). "The urgent need for conservation taxonomy" (PDF). The Bahamas Naturalist and Journal of Science. 1 (1): 12–24.
- ISBN 0-691-08736-9
- ^ Arndt, T. Amazona leucocephala. Lexicon of Parrots, online version. Arndt-Verlag. Accessed 03-04-2010.
- ^ a b Reynolds, M.B.J.; Hayes, W.K. (2009). "Conservation taxonomy of the Cuban Parrot (Amazona leucocephala): I. Variation in morphology and plumage" (PDF). Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 22: 1–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
- ^ Snyder, N.F.R.; King, W.B.; Kepler, C.B. (1982). "Biology and conservation of the Bahama Parrot". Living Bird. 19: 91–114.
- S2CID 22511189. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-08-04.
- ^ a b c "Species factsheet: Amazona leucocephala". BirdLife International (2008). Retrieved 17 July 2008.
- ^ ISBN 0-691-09251-6.
- ^ .
- ^ UNEP-WCMC (2010). Amazona leucocephala.[permanent dead link] UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species On the World Wide Web. Accessed 03-04-2010
- ^ "Text of the Convention". CITES. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
- ^ Voren, Howard (3 September 2020). "The Wonderful World of Amazons (continued)". Organization of Professional Aviculturists. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ Low, Rosemary. "The Cuban Amazon Parrot". The Parrot Society UK. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "Cayman parrot amnesty ends". 4 March 2020.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profile
- Cuban amazon Video in Zapata Swamp,Cuba