Blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) are South American creatures, originating in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Theyre midsize birds commonly kept as pets in homes. From their days as newly flying fledglings and throughout their codependent existences within a social units or flock, blue-fronted Amazon parrots live for decades. Captive ones live significantly longer than those in the wild.
Blue-fronted Amazon parrots are predominantly bright green in plumage coloration, and their faces are yellow and blue. Males tend to have slightly more yellow facial coloration than females. These birds wings feature crimson markings, and their limbs and bills are either blackish or deep gray. Blue-fronted Amazons typically achieve lengths of 15 inches, with weights somewhere between 14 and 19.25 ounces. Mature individuals have more intense coloration than juvenile specimens. When they live in the wild, they usually opt for grassland and woodland settings or the areas just surrounding rivers.
The reproductive season for the species begins in August and ends in December. Blue-fronted Amazon incubation lasts about 30 days, in clutches of one to six eggs. The youngsters typically hatch in September or October. At birth, they weigh less than an ounce. Approximately 56 days after they emerge, they are mature enough to fly solo. Reproductive maturity comes later, usually when theyre somewhere between 2 and 4 years old. They breed annually. They form monogamous pairings and remain with their partners even outside of breeding, whether searching for food or resting. Apart from their pairings, blue-fronted Amazon parrots are extremely companionable animals who stay tightly knit with their flocks. Although these birds do not migrate in general, they occasionally travel to other nearby areas on the quest for sustenance.
Like many fellow parrots, blue-fronted Amazons have long life expectancies, particularly compared with those of other common household pets such as dogs and cats. A SeaWorld website says blue-fronted Amazon parrots have lived up to 80 years. However, the average life span is much lower. For those in captivity, 35 years or more is common. Average life span for blue-fronted Amazons in nature is approximately 27 years, according to the UKs Wingham Wildlife Parks website.
Conservation status edit
Being a critically endangered species, the Puerto Rican parrot in particular has undergone extensive conservation efforts, involving land management modifications, legal protection, research, and improved nesting success, among other things. [41]: 1821 Nevertheless, natural occurrences like Hurricane Hugo, which impacted the Luquillo forest where the majority of Puerto Rican parrots resided, severely hampered these attempts. [42]: 70.
There have been successful attempts to increase the population of the four species of amazon parrots found in the Lesser Antilles within the rest of the West Indies. The number of Amazon parrots in the Greater Antilles has remained steady. The population of the Cuban Amazon has significantly increased as a result of extremely successful conservation efforts. [43]: 94.
Taxonomy editSee also:
About thirty different species of parrots can be found in Amazonia, including the festive amazon, red-necked amazon, and Cuban amazon. There is disagreement over the correct taxonomy of the yellow-crowned amazon (Amazona ochrocephala complex), with some authorities classifying it as just one species (A ochrocephala), but some have divided it into up to three species (A ochrocephala, A. auropalliata and A. oratrix). The main factors that cause the split are variations in the amount of yellow that is present in the plumage and in the color of the legs and bill. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA do not support the traditional split. [6].
Ornithologists Tony Silva, Antonio Guzmán, and Adam D. published a study in 2017 that The blue-winged amazon (Amazona gomezgarzai), a new species from the Yucatán Peninsula region of Mexico, was proposed by Urantówka and Pawe? Mackiewicz. [7] However, later research casts doubt on its veracity, suggesting that these organisms may have originated artificially as hybrids. [8].
Previously included in this genus, the yellow-faced parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops) has been moved to the monotypic genus Alipiopsitta due to recent research indicating that it is more closely related to the short-tailed parrot and species in the genus Pionus. [9][10].
Description edit
The majority of amazon parrots have green bodies, with contrasting colors on the crown, face, and flight feathers that differ depending on the species. [13]: 8 With short, rounded tails and wings, these medium- to large-sized parrots range in length from 23 to 45 cm (9 to 17 3?4 in). They have a prominent naked cere with setae on it, a pronounced notch on the upper mandible, and a heavy bill. [16]: 21 Amazon parrots are about the same size in males and females, though males occasionally grow larger[17]: 6 – most do not exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the exception of the Yucatan amazon[19], the white-fronted amazon[18], and the turquoise-fronted amazon, the latter of which exhibits sexual dimorphism when viewed in the ultraviolet spectrum and is invisible to humans. [20] They can weigh from 190g to more than 565g. [17]: 6 An Amazon parrot’s typical body temperature is 41 8 degrees Celsius, or 107. 1 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 340 and 600 beats per minute, they breathe between 15 and 45 times per minute. [21].