Amazon of the Week 6/20/10

[Jayd]

Our Amazon of the Week, is: Yellow-headed aka Double Yellow-headed Amazon Parrots (Amazona oratrix aka Amazona ochrocephala oratrix)

 

This amazon possesses both the yellow nape and yellow crown - hence a "double-yellow" head and the origin of its name.

 

Sub-species:

Double Yellow Head or Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix oratrix aka Amazona ochrocephala oratrix) - Pacific and Gulf slopes of Mexico.

Tres-Marias Amazon Amazona oratrix tresmariae, previously Amazona ochrocephala tresmariae: Tres Marias Islands (Islands off the west coast of Mexico)

Belize Yellow-headed Amazons Amazona oratrix belizensis, previously Amazona ochrocephala belizensis: Belize.

Amazona oratrix hondurensis: Sula Valley, Honduras - Only recently described, while the population in north-western Honduras and adjacent eastern Guatemala (near Puerto Barrios) resembles belizensis and commonly is included in that subspecies, but may actually represent an undescribed subspecies. It has sometimes been referred to as guatemalensis, but until officially described, the name remains provisional.

Greater Yellow-headed Amazon Amazona oratrix magna - previously A. ochrocephala magna - Carribean Side of Mexico. Most authorities consider this sub-species invalid, instead including this population in oratrix

Amazona oratrix magna - from the Pacific slope of Mexico. Most authorities consider this subspecies invalid.

Double Yellow Head or Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix aka Amazona ochrocephala oratrix)

 

Distribution / Range

The Yellow-headed Amazons are endemic to Guatemala. They were previously also found along the coastal slopes of Mexico from the Tres Marías Islands and Jalisco to Oaxaca and from Nuevo León to northern Chiapas and southwestern Tabasco, as well as a disjunct area including most of Belize, as well as northwestern Honduras. They inhabit riparian forest and areas with scattered trees, as well as evergreen forest in Belize and mangroves in Guatemala. Introduced populations can be found in Stuttgart, Germany where a population of over 50 individuals resides. Smaller introduced populations are to found at Imperial Beach, San Diego and Santa Anna both in Southern California.

Their numbers have been reduced drastically—by 90 percent, to 7,000, from the mid 1970s to 1994, and by 68 percent from 1994 to 2004. The main reason being trapping for the pet trade and habitat destruction.

 

Physical Description

The Yellow-naped Amazon averages 15 - 17 inches (38–43 cm) in length (including tail). When excited all feathers of the neck and crown are raised, making the head appear double in size. They have 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, darker in immatures of the Belizean and Honduran subspecies. The eye ring is whitish in Mexican birds and grayish in others. Male and female look alike. Immatures have less yellow than adults; they attain adult plumage in 2 to 4 years.

Mutations: Lutino and blue mutations and myriad variations have been produced in aviculture. Below is a photo of Tommy - a beautiful and rare mutation double headed amazon. According to his owners, he is a great pet. He likes attention and wants to be close to the action. He can be very vocal screaming "come here, come here!" Like just about all parrots, he likes to discipline by biting from time to time. Training is recommended to prevent undesirable behavior.

 

TommyTaxonomy [some of you might remember Tommy.]

 

 

Tres Marías Amazon at Cougar Mountain Zoological Park, USA. This species is part of the Amazona ochrocephala complex, which also includes the Yellow-naped Amazon (A. auropalliata). This complex, "a taxonomic headache", is considered a single species by some authorities and split into three species by others. The split is mainly based on the amount of yellow in the plumage, the color of the legs and bill, the close proximity of A. oratrix and A. auropalliata in Oaxaca, Mexico, without apparent interbreeding, and the presence of both A. ochrocephala and A. auropalliata in northern Honduras. This evaluation has, however, been confused by misunderstandings regarding the plumage variations in the populations in northern Honduras, where birds vary greatly in amount of yellow on the head, crown and nape, but have pale bills and a juvenile plumage matching A. oratrix, but neither A. ochrocephala nor A. auropalliata. In 1997, the population from the Sula Valley in northern Honduras was described as a new subspecies, hondurensis, of A. oratrix. A. auropalliata caribaea on the Islas de la Bahía, which is in relatively close proximity to the recently described A. oratrix hondurensis, may have a relatively pale lower mandible, indicating that gene flow may occur between the two. If confirmed, this could suggest that the two are better considered conspecific. Alternatively, it has been suggested that caribaea and parvipes, both typically considered subspecies of A. auropalliata, may be closer to A. oratrix than they are to the nominate A. auropalliata. Both are relatively small and have red on the shoulder like A. oratrix, but unlike nominate A. auropalliata. The members of this complex are known to hybridize in captivity and recent phylogenetic analysis of DNA did not support the split into the three "traditional" biological species, but did reveal three clades, which potentially could be split into three phylogenetic species: a Mexican and Central American species (including panamensis, which extends slightly into South America), a species of northern South America, and a species from the southern Amazon Basin. The Central American clade can potentially be split further, with panamensis (Panama Amazon) and tresmariae (Tres Marías Amazon) recognized as two monotypic species.

According to the traditional split, A. oratrix includes the taxa tresmariae (from Tres Marías Islands), belizensis (from Belize) and hondurensis (from Sula Valley, Honduras) as subspecies. An additional subspecies, magna, has sometimes been recognized for the population on the Gulf slope of Mexico, but today most authorities considered it invalid, instead including this population in oratrix, which also occurs on the Pacific slope of Mexico.In contrast, the population in north-western Honduras and adjacent eastern Guatemala (near Puerto Barrios), which resembles A. oratrix belizensis and commonly is included in that subspecies, may represent an undescribed subspecies. It has sometimes been referred to as guatemalensis, but until this population is officially described, the name remains provisional.

 

The origin of the common epithet "Double Yellow-headed" is that this species is differentiated from the others in the Yellow-headed Amazon complex by possessing both the yellow nape and yellow crown of its two close relatives, hence a "double-yellow" head.[citation needed]

Conservation status

 

The Yellow-headed Amazon is considered endangered by the IUCN, and is on the CITES Appendix I, which by international treaty, has made export, import and trade of wild-caught Yellow-headed Amazons illegal and the trade in birds bred in aviculture subject to controls in most of the world. Captive-bred Yellow-headed Amazons can be sold and owned legally subject to checks and regulations. Generally, throughout the world, sale of Appendix I species bred in aviculture must be accompanied with official certification which is provided by the breeder, and they must have a closed ring on one leg.

 

The popularity of Yellow-headed Amazons as a pet continues to fuel poaching efforts, which have nearly driven it to extinction in the wild. Their wild population has declined from 70,000 to 7,000 in the past two decades alone. An estimated 90% of poached Yellow-headed Amazons die before they are sold. Yellow-headed Parrots nest in holes in tree trunks or fallen branches. Poachers usually hack at the nest site with a machete to steal parrots, which is especially destructive because habitat is lost at the same time that the wild parrot population is reduced.[citation needed] The situation for tresmariae, which potentially can be treated as a separate species, is unclear, but its very small range gives cause for concern and some reports indicate it is under considerable threat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7BgrY2Ewew&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-headed_Amazon

http://www.avianweb.com/yellowheadedamazon.html

Edited June 20, 2010 by Jayd

[judygram]

Beautiful birds and stupid me never knew why they were called double yellow headed amazons but I know now. That all yellow one is gorgeous a very stunning bird, thanks for this week's entry in the amazon series

[Luvparrots]

Great information, as usual Jay!!!! Thank you for helping us understand another of the beautiful Amazons!!!