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Yellow-headed Amazon

Amazona oratrix

Endangered · IUCN Red List

ENEndangeredOmnivoreForestCavity nestLarge · 477 g
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 1
Photo: palindrome6996 · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 2
Photo: Daniel S. Katz · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 3
Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 4
Photo: Daniel S. Katz · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 5
Photo: Mbtskysurfer at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 6
Photo: Lana · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 7
Photo: Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), photo 8
Photo: Daniel S. Katz · CC BY 4.0

What the Yellow-headed Amazon sounds like

Sonogram of the Yellow-headed Amazon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Oliver Komar · Call · Near Lamanai Outpost, Orange Walk District, Belize · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The yellow-headed amazon averages 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in) long. The shape is typical of amazons, with a robust build, rounded wings, and a square tail. The body is bright green, with yellow on the head, dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing, and yellow thighs. The flight feathers are blackish to bluish violet with a red patch on the outer secondaries. The base of the tail also has a red patch, which is usually hidden. The outer tail feathers have yellowish tips. The bill is horn-colored (gray), darker in immatures of the Belizean subspecies.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Yellow-headed Amazon

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Yellow-headed Amazon

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 4 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Mexico Germany Puerto Rico

Recorded as a rare visitor in Guatemala, Belize.

About the Yellow-headed Amazon

The yellow-headed amazon, also known as the yellow-headed parrot and double yellow-headed amazon, is an endangered amazon parrot of Mexico and northern Central America. Measuring 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in) in length, it is a stocky short-tailed green parrot with a yellow head. It prefers to live in mangrove forests or forests near rivers or other bodies of water. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the yellow-crowned amazon. It is a popular pet and an excellent talker. Poaching for the international pet trade has driven the species to near-extinction in the wild; around half of all wild-caught birds are thought to die in the process.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Lilac-crowned Amazon (Amazona finschi) Lilac-crowned AmazonAmazona finschiThe plumage of an adult lilac-crowned amazon is primarily green with yellowish underparts and black edging. Festive Amazon (Amazona festiva) Festive AmazonAmazona festivaThe subspecies bodini has more red to the forecrown and more blue to the face than the nominate. Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala) Cuban AmazonAmazona leucocephalaThe Cuban amazon is a medium-sized parrot 28–33 centimetres (11–13 in) long.

Side by side: Scaly-naped Amazon vs Yellow-headed Amazon · Cuban Amazon vs Yellow-headed Amazon · Lilac-crowned Amazon vs Yellow-headed Amazon · Festive Amazon vs Yellow-headed Amazon

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