The yellow-crowned amazon or yellow-crowned parrot (''Amazona ochrocephala'') is a species of
parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...
native to tropical
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
and
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. The
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
is highly complex and the
yellow-headed (''A. oratrix'') and
yellow-naped amazon
The yellow-naped amazon or yellow-naped parrot (''Amazona auropalliata'') is a widespread amazon parrot sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'').. It inhabits the Pacific coast of southern M ...
(''A. auropalliata'') are sometimes considered
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the yellow-crowned amazon. Except in the taxonomic section, the following deals only with the
nominate
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list.
Political office
In the ...
group (including subspecies ''xantholaema'', ''nattereri'' and ''panamensis'').They are found in the Amazon basin.
Taxonomy
![Amazona ochrocephala -zoo-8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Amazona_ochrocephala_-zoo-8.jpg)
The yellow-crowned amazon was
formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
, fields =
, workplaces = University of GöttingenUniversity of Tübingen
, alma_mater = University of Tübingen
, doctoral_advisor = Philipp Friedrich GmelinFerdinand Christoph Oetinger
, academic_advisors =
, doctora ...
in his revised and expanded edition of
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
's ''
Systema Naturae
' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...
''. He placed it with all the other parrots in the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Psittacus
''Psittacus'' is a genus of African grey parrots in the subfamily Psittacinae. It contains the two species: the grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus'') and the Timneh parrot (''Psittacus timneh'').
For many years, the grey parrot and Timneh parr ...
'' and coined the
binomial name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Psittacus ochrocephalus''. Gmelin specified the
type locality as "America", but this was restricted to Venezuela in 1902. The yellow-crowned amazon is now one of around thirty species of parrot placed in the genus ''
Amazona
Amazon parrots are parrots in the genus ''Amazona''. They are medium-sized, short-tailed parrots native to the Americas, with their range extending from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Amazona'' is one of the 92 genera of parrots t ...
'' that was introduced by the French naturalist
René Lesson
René-Primevère Lesson (20 March 1794 – 28 April 1849) was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist.
Biography
Lesson was born at Rochefort, and entered the Naval Medical School in Rochefort at the age of sixteen. He ...
in 1830.
The genus name is a Latinized version of the name ''Amazone'' given to these parrot in the 18th century by the
Comte de Buffon
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopédiste.
His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including two prominent F ...
, who believed they were native to Amazonian jungles. The specific ''ochrocephala'' combines the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
''ōkhros'' meaning "pale yellow" with ''-kephalos'' meaning "-headed".
Four
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognised:
[
* ''A. o. panamensis'' (]Cabanis Cabanis is the surname of:
*George Cabanis (1815-1892), American politician
*Jean Cabanis (1816–1906), German ornithologist
*José Cabanis
José Cabanis (2 March 1922 – 6 October 2000) was a French novelist, essayist, historian and magistrate ...
, 1874) – west Panama and northwest Colombia
* ''A. o. ochrocephala'' ( Gmelin, JF, 1788) – east Colombia and Venezuela through the Guianas and north Brazil
* ''A. o. xantholaema'' Berlepsch, 1913 – island of Marajó
Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially ...
(off north Brazil in the Amazon delta)
* ''A. o. nattereri'' ( Finsch, 1865) – south Colombia to east Peru, north Bolivia and west Brazil
The ''Amazona ochrocephala'' complex, which has been described as "a taxonomic headache", is considered a single species by some authorities and split into three species, ''A. ochrocephala'' (yellow-crowned amazon), ''A. auropalliata'' (yellow-naped amazon
The yellow-naped amazon or yellow-naped parrot (''Amazona auropalliata'') is a widespread amazon parrot sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'').. It inhabits the Pacific coast of southern M ...
) and ''A. oratrix'' (yellow-headed amazon
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 in length, it is a stocky short-tailed gree ...
), by others. The split is mainly based on the amount of yellow in the plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
, the color of the legs and bill, the close proximity of the ''oratrix'' group and ''auropalliata'' group in Oaxaca
Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, without apparent interbreeding
In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in ...
and the presence of members of both the nominate group and the ''auropalliata'' group in northern Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
. This evaluation has, however, been confused by misunderstandings regarding the plumage variations in the populations in northern Honduras, where birds vary greatly in amount of yellow on the head, crown and nape, but have pale bills and a juvenile plumage matching the ''oratrix'' group, but neither the nominate nor the ''auropalliata'' group.[Lousada, S., & S. Howell. 1996. ''Distribution, variation, and conservation of Yellow-headed Parrots in northern Central America.'' Cotinga 5: 46-53.] The taxon
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
''caribaea'' from the Bay Islands Bay Islands may refer to:
* Bay Islands Department, Honduras
* Southern Moreton Bay Islands, Queensland, Australia
See also
* Bay of Islands
* Bay of Isles
* Island Bay, Wellington
* Little Bay Islands
Little Bay Islands is a vacant town in ...
is a member of the ''auropalliata'' group, and occurs in relatively close proximity to the members of the ''oratrix'' group. As ''caribaea'' may have a relatively pale lower mandible, this could indicating a level of gene flow
In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...
between this and the nearby taxa of the ''oratrix'' group. If confirmed, this could suggest that the two are better considered conspecific
Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species.
Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...
. Alternatively, it has been suggested that ''caribaea'' and ''parvipes'', both typically placed in the ''auropalliata'' group, may be closer to the ''oratrix'' than they are to the ''auropalliata sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
''. Both are relatively small and have red to the shoulder as in the members of the ''oratrix'' group, but unlike ''auropalliata sensu stricto''.[
The members of this complex are known to hybridize in captivity][ and recent ]phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
analysis of DNA did not support the split into the three "traditional" biological species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sex ...
, but did reveal three clades
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, t ...
, which potentially could be split into three phylogenetic species: a Mexican and Central American species (incl. ''panamensis'', which extends slightly into South America), a species of northern South America (northern nominate), and a species from the southern Amazon basin (''nattereri'', ''xantholaema'' and southern nominate).[Eberhard, J., & E. Bermingham. 2004. ''Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Amazona ochrocephala (Aves: Psittacidae) Complex.'' Auk 121(#2): 318-332] The Central American clade can potentially be split further, with ''panamensis'' and ''tresmariae'' recognized as two monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
species. The members of the clade from the southern Amazon basin should arguably be included as subspecies of the blue-fronted amazon
The turquoise-fronted amazon (''Amazona aestiva''), also called the turquoise-fronted parrot, the blue-fronted amazon and the blue-fronted parrot, is a South American species of amazon parrot and one of the most common amazon parrots kept in capt ...
, as they are closer to each other than to the northern clades.[ Disregarding these problems, the following taxa are part of the ''Amazona ochrocephala'' complex as traditionally delimited:][
* nominate group ("true" yellow-crowned amazon):
** ''Amazona o. ochrocephala'': East-central and southeastern ]Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
and the northern and eastern Amazon basin in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
** ''Amazona o. xantholaema'': Marajó Island
Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially ...
, in the Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
of northeastern Brazil.
** ''Amazona o. nattereri'': Far southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, eastern Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, northern Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
and the southwestern Amazon basin of Brazil (east to around Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
); often included in ''A. o. ochrocephala''.[Collar, N. 1997. Amazona ochrocephala (Yellow-crowned parrot). Pp 473-474 in: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott & J. Sargatal. Eds. 1997. ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 4. Sangrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ]
** '' Amazona o. panamensis'': Western Panama to northwestern Colombia; sometimes called the Panama amazon
* ''auropalliata'' group (yellow-naped amazon
The yellow-naped amazon or yellow-naped parrot (''Amazona auropalliata'') is a widespread amazon parrot sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'').. It inhabits the Pacific coast of southern M ...
):
** ''Amazona a./o. auropalliata'': Southern Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
.
** ''Amazona a./o. parvipes'': The Mosquito Coast
The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskit ...
in eastern Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
.
** ''Amazona a./o. caribaea'': The Bay Islands, Honduras.
* ''oratrix'' group (yellow-headed amazon
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 in length, it is a stocky short-tailed gree ...
):
** ''Amazona o./o. oratrix'': The Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
and Gulf slopes of Mexico; also, a population in Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
exists.
** ''Amazona o./o. tresmariae'': The Tres Marías Islands
Tres may refer to:
* Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument
* Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy
* "Tres" (song) by Juanes
* "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra''
* TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey''
* Templi R ...
, off west-central Mexico.
** ''Amazona o./o. belizensis'': Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
.
** ''Amazona o./o. hondurensis'': The Sula Valley in northern Honduras.
Of these, ''hondurensis'' was only recently described, while the population in northwestern Honduras and adjacent eastern Guatemala (near Puerto Barrios
Puerto Barrios () is a city in Guatemala, located within the Gulf of Honduras. The city is located on Bahia de Amatique. Puerto Barrios is the departmental seat of Izabal department and is the administrative seat of Puerto Barrios municipality.
...
) resembles ''belizensis'' and is commonly included in that subspecies, but may actually represent an undescribed subspecies. It has sometimes been referred to as ''guatemalensis'',[Juniper, T., & M. Parr. 1998. ''A Guide to the Parrots of the World''. Pica Press, East Sussex. ] but until it is officially described, the name remains provisional. 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''.[
]
Description
Subspecies in the nominate group (including subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
''xantholaema'', ''nattereri'' and ''panamensis'') have a total length of 33–38 cm (13–15 in). As most other amazon parrot
Amazon parrots are parrots in the genus ''Amazona''. They are medium-sized, short-tailed parrots native to the Americas, with their range extending from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Amazona'' is one of the 92 genera of parrots t ...
s, it has a short squarish tail and primarily green plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
. It has dark blue tips to the secondaries and primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
and a red wing speculum, carpal
The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (or carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The term "carpus" is derived from the Latin carpus and the Greek καρπός (karpós), meaning "wrist". In human anatomy, th ...
edge (leading edge of the wing at the "shoulder") and base of the outer tail feathers.[ The red and dark blue sections are often difficult to see when the bird is perched, while the red base of the outer tail feathers only infrequently can be seen under normal viewing conditions in the wild.][ The amount of yellow to the head varies, with the nominate, ''nattereri'' and ''panamensis'' having yellow restricted to the crown-region (occasionally with a few random feathers around the eyes),][ while the subspecies ''xantholaema'' has most of the head yellow.][ All have a white eye-ring. They have a dark bill with a large horn (gray) or reddish spot on the upper mandible, except ''panamensis'', which has a horn-colored beak. Males and females do not differ in plumage. Except for the wing speculum, juveniles have little yellow and red to the plumage.][
]
Distribution and habitat
The yellow-crowned amazon is found in the Amazon basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
and Guianas
The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:
* French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France
* ...
, with additional populations in northwestern South America and Panama. It has been introduced to Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles ( ...
.
It is a bird of tropical forests (both humid and dry), woodlands, mangroves, and savannas and may also be found on cultivated land and suburban areas. In the southern part of its range, it is rarely found far from the Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
. It is mainly a lowland bird, but has locally been recorded up to 800 m (2600 ft) along on the eastern slopes of the Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
. Introduced–and apparently breeding–populations have been reported in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
A wild colony of around 60 animals has been living in Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Germany, since the mid-1980s.
Behaviour
Food and feeding
They are normally found in pairs or small flocks up to 30, but larger groups may gather at clay licks. Their food includes fruits, nuts, seeds, berries,[ blossoms and leaf buds. Yellow-crowned amazons are fond of ]maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
and cultivated fruits. Foods with sugar and a large amount of salt can be dangerous for them.
Breeding
The nest is in a hollow in a tree, palm or termitarium
Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattod ...
, where they lay two to three eggs.[ The incubation time is about 26 days and the chicks leave the nest about 60 days from hatching.]
Conservation
The yellow-crowned amazon is considered to be of least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
by BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
, and consequently, also by IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
. Although populations are believed to be in decline, they do not yet approach the threshold specified by BirdLife International to rate the species as near threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...
. As is the case with most parrots, it is listed on appendix II of CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
.CITES listings
Retrieved on 2 February 2008 It occurs in numerous protected areas and remains fairly common throughout a large part of its range.[
]
References
*
External links
- Mangoverde World Bird Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q852737
yellow-crowned amazon
The yellow-crowned amazon or yellow-crowned parrot (''Amazona ochrocephala'') is a species of parrot native to tropical South America, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. The taxonomy is highly complex and the yellow-headed (''A. oratrix'') and yel ...
Parrots of South America
Birds of Colombia
Birds of Venezuela
Birds of the Guianas
Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
Birds of the Amazon Basin
yellow-crowned amazon
The yellow-crowned amazon or yellow-crowned parrot (''Amazona ochrocephala'') is a species of parrot native to tropical South America, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. The taxonomy is highly complex and the yellow-headed (''A. oratrix'') and yel ...
yellow-crowned amazon
The yellow-crowned amazon or yellow-crowned parrot (''Amazona ochrocephala'') is a species of parrot native to tropical South America, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. The taxonomy is highly complex and the yellow-headed (''A. oratrix'') and yel ...
Birds of Brazil