Blue Front Amazon

01-29-2007, 04:27 PM

Blue Front Amazon

Diet: seed mix of safflower, wheat, oats, pigeon food, hemp, dried rowan berries, buckwheat and mung beans; sprouted sunflower; some pine-nuts; various fruit and vegetables; half-ripe maize; rose hips; green food; regular mineral supplements.
Of all the Amazons, blue-fronts have the most difference in colors. Some birds within a flock are relatively plain while others are very colorful. These birds are very popular, especially in the United States. They talk, but not usually as well as yellow-napes or yellow-heads. They are intelligent, inquisitive birds but are sometimes shy.
Blue-fronted Amazons can probably live up to 50 to 60 years or more, but little is known about their life span in captivity.
Appearance and Personality
These are fairly large birds, 14 to 15 inches long, with males being generally larger and more colorful than females, with larger heads and beaks. Generally speaking, they are bright green with patches of blue, yellow and white. One subspecies, A.a. aestiva, which hails from Brazil, has less yellow on the wings and the cheeks are blue. Another subspecies, A. a. xanthopteryx, native to Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, has yellow cheek patches, with extensive yellow and red markings on the wings. On all blue-fronts, however, the flight feathers are green with blue tips; tail feathers have yellow-green tips and red patches.
In juveniles, the eyes are brown, while the eyes of adults are orange-yellow. Most juveniles have relatively little color compared to adults. Blue-fronted Amazons can probably live up to 50 to 60 years or more, but little is known about their life span in captivity.
Mature birds – especially males – may become bonded to one person and aggressively “protect” him or her from other people. They are fairly easy to raise, but they are more susceptible than other Amazons to common illnesses. They make good family pets.
These birds are active by nature and have a tendency toward obesity if closely confined. They should always be provided with toys, blocks of wood or branches that they can chew. They also need to have space for exercise.

Grooming

Routine bathing or showering is vital to maintaining good plumage and skin condition. Birds can be misted and allowed to dry in a warm room or in the sun, or gently dried with a blow dryer. Care should be taken not to clip the wing feathers excessively as Amazons often fall and injure themselves. Clip only the primary flight feathers and only enough so the bird will glide to the floor. Blue-fronted Amazons are heavy bodied and care must be taken not to cut too many feathers. Excessive wing clipping can result in injuries from falling.

Feeding

Amazons should be fed a pelleted diet. High protein diet is an excellent staple diet for Amazons, but weaning food can also be fed. The diet should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables daily to add variety. Feed approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup of formulated diet and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Monitor food intake. Overfeeding leads to pickiness, selective feeding and wasteful throwing of food. Because of their tendency to obesity, blue-fronted Amazons should be fed little or no sunflower or safflower seeds (seeds should only be given as treats). Vitamin supplements are not needed for birds that are eating a formulated diet.

Birds that are fed only seeds will need vitamin and mineral supplementation to prevent deficiency diseases. Vitamins should be added to soft food rather than water, which dilutes the vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins break down rapidly and water with sweetened vitamins is a good growth medium for bacteria.

Housing

These birds are very active and should be provided the largest cage that space and budget allow. Ideally, the cage should provide room for flight. Durable cage construction is not as critical as it is for macaws and cockatoos, but locks or escape-proof latches may be necessary. If possible, the bird should also have an outdoor cage to allow playtime in the fresh-air and sunlight.

Breeding

Breeding age is approximately 3 to 5 years, but they are very difficult to breed in captivity. In North America, they breed mostly in the spring and have a limited breeding season that runs from February or March to June or July. Clutch size is typically three to four eggs. For breeding boxes, 1-inch by 1-inch by 14-inch gauge welded wire is a good choice for cage construction. A suggested cage size is 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall by 8 feet long suspended 4 feet above the ground or floor.

Common Diseases and Disorders

The blue-fronted Amazon is a relatively healthy bird. The following diseases have been reported in this species:
* Feather-picking
* Psittacosis
* Poor eating habits
* Obesity
* Bacterial and fungal infections
* Mate aggression
* Toxicity, ingestion of metals
* Toe necrosis

BLUE FRONTED AMAZON (Amazona Aestiva)
The Blue Fronted Amazon originates from Brazil, North and East Bolivia, Paraguay and Northern Argentina - in 2 subspecies.
Your new pet has been hand-reared and has no fear of humans. He/she should be treated with respect and will respond with affection and trust.
FEEDING
Feed good quality parrot mix (with dried fruit included), supplemented with extra peanuts, pinenuts, peppers, hemp and safflower but note that hemp is very fattening and should only be given in small quantities. Fresh fruit should be offered daily, grapes, apple, orange, pear, pomegranate and banana are readily taken, but most birds have their preferences. Amazon parrots are very keen to eat lots of fruit and this should be encouraged as a seed alone diet is very bad for them. Fresh green food, i.e. chickweed, lettuce, celery, dandelion and sowthistle are all beneficial for them. Also, as a treat, offer millet sprays, various nuts including walnut, almond, brazil etc. (shells cracked but not completely removed). Cuttlefish, mineral block, grit and shell should always be available to them. Give fresh water daily. Cubed carrot and sweetcorn (fresh or tinned - drained) should be offered regularly as a source of vitamin A which they need. As a general tonic, a little Nutrobal or Avimix sprinkled on their fruit twice a week is beneficial.
ACCOMMODATION
A cage large enough for the bird to exercise it's wings should be provided, but it will expect to be out of it's cage most of the time! Perches should be of natural wood, i.e. willow or apple, if possible, as this keeps the feet and claws healthy. A large round dish (large ash-tray size) of water should be offered daily for the bird to bathe in as they love water. An alternative is a "shower" using a mist spray.
Talking Ability
Blue Fronts are good talkers - many speaking sentences. They tend to learn from a woman's voice easiest as the pitch is higher than a man's. Repeat words slowly and often when there are no other distractions.

Please meet "Andy", our Male Blue Front Amazon (Chaco)

Please meet "Sachmo", our Female Orange winged Amazon

01-29-2007, 04:28 PM

Blue Fronted Amazons
There are a couple of types of Blue Fronts

Amazona aestiva aestiva (Brazilian Blue Front). Length: 14 inches Weight: 300 grams to 420 grams.
Range: Eastern Brazil. Brazil stopped exporting them in the 70's. There are more aestiva xanthopteryx and intermediates than aestiva aestivas due in part to the early stopping of exportation of this type of Blue Front and domestic breeders crossing xanthopteryx and aestiva because of the difficulty in finding readily available aestivas.
Coloration: Blue cast to the green feathers. Red at the bend of the wing. Some may have a few yellow flecks mixed in the red. These birds generally show more blue on the face and head and can have the blue extend down into the chest as well.
Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx (Yellow Wing) Length: 15 inches Weight: 450 grams to 520 grams. Range: Larger range than aestiva aestiva. Northern and eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina. Paraguayan Blue Fronts have less yellow on the head and may have only blue. They are smaller than other xanthopteryx. Birds from the Chaco (known as Chaco Blue Fronts) are larger and lighter and have lots of yellow on the head and wings. These birds also have longer tails than the aestiva or xanthopteryxs from other areas.
Coloration: Yellow cast to green feathers. Have large yellow patches at the top of the wings. Head shows a lot of yellow and may or may not have blue on their forehead. They may have yellow spots on the nape, back and chest area as well.
Not all Blue Fronts keep their coloration, There are also mutations of Blue Fronts. There are all yellow (lutino), all blue (with white markings where there would be yellow), all blue (with pale yellow markings where there would be yellow) cinnamon and pied. These birds are very rare and few are being bred. Three albino Blue Fronts were taken from northeastern Brazil in 1988. Since exportation of Blue Fronts from Brazil was in effect in the 1970's, none of the albinos were known to be exported.
Amazona Aestiva
Commonly called the Blue Front Amazon
Length: 36-38cm (14-15 in)
Origin: Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay
Expected Lifespan: up to or more than 30 years
The Blue Front is one of the prettiest amazons, with their blue forehead, yellow crown, cheeks, and throat and red at the bend of the wing. They are like an artist's palette of colors, the color is never exactly the same in each bird. Blue Front are amazing talkers and will learn long and extensive vocabularies, They are said to be among the three top talkers in the amazon family, slightly behind the yellow nape and double yellow head.

They do well with playtops, and are happy to sit on them all day. Acrylic toys that can be turned and twisted in their beaks are a favorite. Wooden toys to chew up are important, Amazons love to shred wood and will happily destroy the wooden block toys you give them. Rotate the toys so they don't get bored. A separate outside cage filled with toys in a sunny location is a great idea. Amazons are not always quiet and will be very happy taking 'time out' to yell and play outside in the sun.
Feeding requirements: Eating is something these birds do well. A good pelleted diet would be primary, followed by a small amount of seed to vary their diet and give them the fun of cracking the seeds. Amazon's can be prone to being overweight so keep that in mind with the seed. In fact an Amazon on an all seed diet with no fresh foods is very easy to spot, they develop greasy looking feathers and Vitamin A deficiencies which lead to other problems, such as respiratory problems. They love a wide variety of foods, just about anything that is considered health food will be fine with them. They love to eat whatever you are eating, just make sure it's healthy before you share!

Here’s a few links to help you with your Amazon.

http://www.parrot-link.co.uk/blue-fronted-amazons.htm

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/...ted-amazon.htm

http://www.petcraft.com/docs/bluefront.shtml

http://www.pionusparrot.com/amazonParrots.htm
http://www.aviary.com/text/amazons-bluefronted.html

http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles/bfam1.mpg

http://www.p-pp.tv/articles/bluefronted_amazon/

http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/eifert/

http://www.feathert.com/bfaspec.html

http://www.pethealthcare.net/html/bo...on_parrot.html

Peace.
Brokenwing