Amazon Parrot

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Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Subfamily: Arinae
Genus: Amazona


Blue Fronted Amazon

An Amazon parrot is a large parrot of the genus Amazona native to the New World ranging from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Most amazons are predominantly green, with accenting colors that depend on the species and can be quite vivid. Amazons, like all parrots, are zygodactyl, having four toes on each foot—two front and two back. They feed primarily on nuts and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.
Several amazon species are commonly kept as pets, including the Yellow-headed Parrot, Yellow-naped Parrot, and Blue-fronted Parrot.
Amazons are known for their exceptional vocal abilities, playfulness, and dexterity with their feet. They are very loyal, loving companions; having them is somewhat like having a two-year-old-human child in ability and temperament for 50-plus years. However, some amazons are aggressive (usually during their mating time), and they all require a lot of attention when kept as pets. Parrots require more attention and care than domesticated pets such as dogs or cats, and are not for the inexperienced bird owner. All parrots need a lot of stimulating activities to keep from being bored and terribly destructive to themselves and their surroundings. In particular, since Amazons are cavity nesters in the wild, their desire to chew wood is strong, and they need to be provided with destructible toys to satisfy this innate urge.


Cuban Amazon


Classification
 White-fronted Parrot, A. albifrons
 Blue-fronted Parrot, A. aestiva
 Black-billed Parrot, A. agilis
 Orange-winged Parrot, A. amazonica
 Red-necked Parrot, A. arausiaca
 Yellow-naped Parrot, A. auropalliata
 Red-lored Parrot, A. autumnalis
 Yellow-shouldered Parrot, A. barbadensis
 Red-tailed Parrot, A. brasiliensis
 Yellow-billed Parrot, A. collaria
 Blue-cheeked Parrot, A. dufresniana
 Mealy Parrot, A. farinosa
 Festive Parrot, A. festiva
 Lilac-crowned Parrot, A. finschi
 St. Vincent Parrot, A. guildingii
 Imperial Parrot, A. imperialis
 Kawall's Parrot, A. kawalli
 Cuban Parrot, A. leucocephala
 Scaly-naped Parrot, A. mercenaria
 Yellow-crowned Parrot, A. ochrocephala
 Yellow-headed Parrot, A. oratrix
 Red-spectacled Parrot, A. pretrei
 Red-browed Parrot, A. rhodocorytha
 Tucuman Parrot, A. tucumana
 Hispaniolan Parrot, A. ventralis
 St. Lucia Parrot, A. versicolor
 Vinaceous Parrot, A. vinacea
 Red-crowned Parrot, A. viridigenalis
 Puerto Rican Parrot, A. vittata
 Yellow-lored Parrot, A. xantholora
 Martinique Parrot, A. martinicana (extinct)
 Guadeloupe Parrot, A. violacea (extinct)

The following species was originally placed within this genus, however, recent research suggests that it belongs to its own separate genus Salvatoria:
 Yellow-faced Parrot, Salvatoria xanthops[2][3]

The Amazona ochrocephala species historically contained many sub-species, such as auropalliata and oratrix. However, new taxonomic classification puts those in their own species.


White Fronted Amazon

References
1. ITIS standard report page: Amazonarecord last updated 1998 (URL accessed May 22, 2006)
2. Duarte JMB and Caparroz R (1995) Cytotaxonomic analysis of Brazilian species of the genus Amazona (Psittacidae, Aves) and confirmation of the genus Salvatoria (Ribeiro, 1920). Braz J Genet 18:623-628.
3. Russello, M.A. & Amato, G (2004) A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and conservation. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30: 421-437.


Yellow Headed Amazon

External links
The Amazona Society

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