The

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 ...

s are 35 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 Psittacoide ...

s that comprise the genus ''Amazona''. They are native to the New World, ranging from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. Amazon parrots range in size from medium to large, and have relatively short, rather square tails. They are predominantly green, with accenting colours that are quite vivid in some species. 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. ...

of the

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 ...

(''Amazona ochrocephala'' complex) is disputed, with some authorities listing only a single species (''A. ochrocephala''), and others splitting it into as many as three species (''A. ochrocephala'', ''A. auropalliata'' and ''A. oratrix''). The

yellow-faced parrot :''The yellow-fronted parrot (Poicephalus flavifrons) from Africa is occasionally called "yellow-faced parrot".'' The yellow-faced parrot (''Alipiopsitta xanthops''), formerly also known as the yellow-faced amazon, is the only species of the gen ...

, ''Alipiopsitta xanthops'', was traditionally placed within the amazon parrot genus, but recent research has shown that it is more closely related to the

short-tailed parrot The short-tailed parrot (''Graydidascalus brachyurus'') is the only species of the genus ''Graydidascalus''. It is found along both banks of the Amazon river and other major Amazonian rivers in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. As ...

and species from the genus ''

Pionus ''Pionus'' is a genus of medium-sized parrots native to Mexico, and Central and South America. Characteristic of the genus are the chunky body, bare eye ring (which can vary in color), and short square tail. They are superficially similar to Ama ...

''; as a result, it has been transferred to the

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 "unispe ...

genus ''Alipiopsitta''.Russello, M A & Amato, G (2004) "A molecular phylogeny of ''Amazona'': implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and conservation." ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution''. 30: 421–437. Two extinct species have been postulated, based on limited evidence. They are the

Martinique amazon The Martinique amazon (''Amazona martinicana'') is a hypothetical extinct species of Caribbean parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is not known from any material remains, but was said to be similar to the red-necked amazon (''A. arausiaca'') f ...

(''Amazona martinica'') and the

Guadeloupe amazon The Guadeloupe amazon (''Amazona violacea'') or Guadeloupe parrot, is a hypothetical extinct species of parrot that is thought to have been endemic to the Lesser Antillean island region of Guadeloupe. Mentioned and described by 17th- and 18t ...

(''Amazona violacea''). Amazon parrots were described living on Guadeloupe by Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre in 1667 and by

Jean-Baptiste Labat Jean-Baptiste Labat (sometimes called, simply, Père Labat) (1663 – 6 January 1738) was a French clergyman, botanist, writer, explorer, ethnographer, soldier, engineer, and landowner. Life Labat was born and died in Paris. He entered the ...

in 1742, and they were called ''Psittacus violaceus'' at that time. Labat also described amazon parrots living on

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

. There are no specimens or remains of either island population, so their taxonomy may never be fully elucidated. Their status as separate species is unproven and they are regarded as hypothetical extinct species. In 2017 a study published by ornithologists Tony Silva, Antonio Guzmán, Adam D. Urantówka and Paweł Mackiewicz proposed a new species for the Yucatan Peninsula area (Mexico), being this named blue-winged amazon ('' Amazona gomezgarzai''). However, subsequent studies question its validity, indicating that these organisms possibly had an artificial hybrid origin.

Species

References

Bibliography

*Collar N (1997) "Family Psittacidae (Parrots)" in '' Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 4; Sandgrouse to Cuckoos'' (eds del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J) Lynx Edicions:Barcelona. * {{Amazon parrots ' ' Amazon parrots

Species

See also

References

Bibliography