Yellow-headed amazon

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Yellow-headed amazon
At Vancouver Aquarium
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Amazona
Species:
A. oratrix
Binomial name
Amazona oratrix
Ridgway, 1887
Synonyms

Amazona ochrocephala oratrix

The yellow-headed amazon (Amazona oratrix), also known as the yellow-headed parrot and double yellow-headed amazon, is an endangered amazon parrot of Mexico and northern Central America. Measuring 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in) in length, it is a stocky short-tailed green parrot with a yellow head. It prefers to live in mangrove forests or forests near rivers or other bodies of water. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the yellow-crowned amazon (Amazona ochrocephala). It is a popular pet and an excellent talker. Poaching for the international pet trade has driven the species to near-extinction in the wild; around half of all wild-caught birds are thought to die in the process.

Taxonomy

Tres Marías amazon at Cougar Mountain Zoological Park, United States

This species is part of the Amazona ochrocephala complex, which also includes the

monotypic species.[9][10][11]

According to the traditional split, A. oratrix includes the taxa tresmariae (from the

Tres Marías Islands), belizensis (from Belize) and hondurensis (from the Sula Valley in northern Honduras) as subspecies.[12] An additional subspecies, magna, has sometimes been recognized for the population on the Gulf slope of Mexico, but today most authorities consider it invalid, instead including this population in oratrix, which also occurs on the Pacific slope of Mexico.[3][12][13] In contrast, the population in northwestern Honduras and adjacent eastern Guatemala (near Puerto Barrios), which resembles A. oratrix belizensis and commonly is included in that subspecies, may represent an undescribed subspecies. It has sometimes been referred to as guatemalensis,[12] but until this population is officially described
, the name remains provisional.

The origin of the common epithet "double yellow-headed" is that this species is differentiated from the others in the yellow-headed amazon complex by possessing both the yellow nape and yellow crown of its two close relatives, hence a "double-yellow" head.[citation needed]

Description

The yellow-headed amazon averages 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in) long.[14] The shape is typical of amazons, with a robust build, rounded wings, and a square tail. The body is bright green, with yellow on the head, dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing, and yellow thighs. The flight feathers are blackish to bluish violet with a red patch on the outer secondaries. The base of the tail also has a red patch, which is usually hidden. The outer tail feathers have yellowish tips.[3]

8 weeks old.

The bill is horn-colored (gray), darker in immatures of the

Tres Marías Islands (tresmariae); just the head in the widespread subspecies of Mexico (oratrix); just the crown in Belize (belizensis); and the crown and nape in the Sula Valley of Honduras (hondurensis, which thus resembles the yellow-naped parrot). Immatures have less yellow than adults; they attain adult plumage in 2 to 4 years.[3]

The variety "Magna" (or "Magnum") is bred for more yellow and commands a premium price as a pet.[15] Some "extreme" Magnas have as much yellow as Tres Marías birds, but are distinguished from them by heavier barring on the chest and a less bluish tint to the green plumage.[16]

Wild birds give low-pitched, sometimes human-sounding screams, but often fly silently (unlike many other parrots). The calls can be described as "a rolled kyaa-aa-aaah and krra-aah-aa-ow, a deep, rolled ahrrrr or ahrhrrrr," etc.[3] Young birds make a "clucking" sound to indicate that they are hungry.

Distribution and habitat

In Belize

This species lives in

Tres Marías Islands and Jalisco to Oaxaca and from Nuevo León to northern Chiapas and southwestern Tabasco, as well as a disjunct area including most of Belize, and another comprising a small part of northeastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras.[3] However, their numbers have been reduced drastically—by 90%, to 7,000, from the mid-1970s to 1994,[18] and by 68% from 1994 to 2004[1]
—because of capture for the pet trade and habitat destruction.

Introduced populations can be found in

Point Loma, La Jolla, and Imperial Beach; they are also found in Santa Ana, Loma Linda and Pasadena, all also in Southern California. In addition, introduced –and apparently breeding– populations have been reported in Puerto Rico.[20]

Conservation status

Upper body

The yellow-headed amazon is considered

IUCN, and is listed under CITES Appendix I, which regulates the international trade of the species including those bred in captivity through a permitting system. Populations range from Central America, through Mexico, and even into the southmost region of Texas. There is an approved CITES Captive breeding program established for this species near Canberra in Australia, located at Priam Psittaculture Centre. Providing a sustainable managed breeding program to assist elevating pressures on wild populations for use in avicultural, research and pets.https://cites.org/eng/common/reg/cb/AU

The popularity of yellow-headed amazons as a pet continues to fuel poaching efforts, which have nearly driven it to extinction in the wild. Their wild population has declined from 70,000 to 7,000 in the past two decades alone.[1] An estimated 40-60% of poached yellow-headed amazons die before they are sold. The situation for tresmariae, which potentially can be treated as a separate species, is unclear, but its very small range gives cause for concern and some reports indicate it is under considerable threat.[1]

Unscrupulous bird traders may sometimes bleach or dye the feathers of more common parrot species, such as the white-fronted amazon in order to pass them off for sale as (more expensive) yellow-headed amazons. This cruel treatment is often fatal for the birds involved.[21]

As pets

Pet parrot

Though only captive-bred yellow-headed amazons may be owned, these are widely available (if somewhat expensive) and their personalities make them highly desirable pets; they have been kept as such for centuries

yellow-naped parrot. Yellow-headed amazons in captivity appear to have an affinity for both singing and the learning of song - and a naturally powerful, operatic voice.[24][25][26]

As in most amazons, nervous plucking of plumage is rare among this species. A generally recognized disadvantage of the yellow-headed amazon and its close relatives (such as the yellow-naped amazon) is hormonal aggressiveness, most notable among males in the breeding season. It is a member of the "Hot Three" (referring to the male bird's "hot" temper), along with the yellow-naped and blue-fronted.[27][28] Yellow-headed amazons are known for being "one person birds" - bonding to one human, to whom they become fiercely loyal. It is possible, albeit difficult, to mitigate this behavior by ensuring that the bird receives regular and equal attention from other members of the household.[29]

Captive yellow-headed amazons are known for having a large appetite and an appreciation of a wide variety of foods. They are prone to obesity and nutritional deficiencies if the parrot's owner fails to provide adequate opportunities for play and exercise, and overindulges the parrot with treats and table scraps.[29] The World Parrot Trust recommends that yellow-headed amazons be kept in an enclosure with a minimum length of 3 metres at a temperature no lower than 10°C.[30]

References

  1. ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ Binford, L. 1989. A distributional survey of the birds of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Orn. Monographs. 43: 1-418.
  5. ^ Monroe, B., JR., & T. Howell. 1966. Geographic variation in Middle American parrots of the Amazona ochrocephala complex. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, no. 34. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
  6. ^ a b Lousada, S., & S. Howell. 1996. Distribution, variation, and conservation of Yellow-headed Parrots in northern Central America. Cotinga 5: 46-53.
  7. ^ Lousada, S., & S. Howell. 1997. Amazona oratrix hondurensis: A new subspecies of parrot from the Sula Valley of northern Honduras. Bull. BOC 117: 203-223.
  8. ^ Lousada, S. 1989. Amazona auropalliata caribaea: A new subspecies of parrot from the Bay Islands, northern Honduras. Bull. BOC 109: 232-235.
  9. ^ Eberhard, J., & E. Bermingham. 2004. Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Amazona ochrocephala (Aves: Psittacidae) Complex. Auk 121(2): 318-332
  10. ^ Russello, M. A., & Amato, G. (2004). A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and conservation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30(2): 421-437
  11. ^ Ribas, C. C., Tavares, E. S., Yoshihara, C., & Miyaki C. Y. (2007). Phylogeny and biogeography of yellow-headed and blue-fronted parrots (Amazona ochrocephala and Amazona aestiva) with special reference to the South American taxa. Ibis 149: 564-574
  12. ^
  13. ^ "Species factsheet: Amazona oratrix". BirdLife International (2008). Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  14. ^ "Double Yellow-Headed Amazon Parrot". Aves International. Retrieved 2006-08-23. A commercial site. Shows many photographs including captive-bred young.
  15. ^ "Where are they now?". The Feather Tree. 2003. Retrieved 2006-08-23. A commercial site. Shows many photographs comparing "extreme Magna" to tresmariae
  16. ^ C. Michael Hogan & World Wildlife Fund. 2012. Belizean pine forests. ed. M. McGinley. Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington DC
  17. ^ "Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix)" (PDF). Defenders of Wildlife. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  18. ^ "Stuttgart Amazon Parrots - City Parrots -". cityparrots.org.
  19. PMID 30397538
    .
  20. ^ "Bleaching and Painting of Parrots". City Parrots. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot". Hogle Zoo. 2002–2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  22. .
  23. ^ "The Amazon Parrot". lafebercares.com.
  24. ^ "The Amazing Amazon Parrots". The Parrot Post.
  25. ^ "Amazon Parrot Update". Animal and Pet Adventures. 24 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Feathered Family Inc. - Parrot Rescue and Adoption, Erie CO". 12 February 2008. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008.
  27. ^ "New Hope Animal Hospital - bird medical symptoms". 8 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008.
  28. ^ a b "Double Yellow-Headed Amazon Parrot". Lafeber Company. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  29. ^ "YELLOW-HEADED AMAZON (Amazona oratrix)". World Parrot Trust. Retrieved 14 April 2021.

External links