These birds are famous for their talking skills and intelligence to quickly pick up phrases from their keepers. They are so trainable, and because of their longevity, many love to have this as their family member.
Unfortunately, a yellow head Amazon parrot(Amazona oratrix) is endangered today due to habitat destruction because of human expansion and development activities.
Also, it is sad to know that they are illegally poached, and more than 50% of birds die before they are sold. It is time for us humans to show some humanity and bring in proper measures before causing the extinction of these charismatic birds.
You can not stop yourself from falling in love with this wonderful parrot and from finding out more about other lovely birds, check out magpie facts and budgerigar facts as well.
Yellow Head Amazon Parrot Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a yellow head Amazon parrot?
The double yellow head Amazon parrot is a parrot species that has the head and nape of yellow-crowned Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala) and yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata), and hence its name double head Amazon.
What class of animal does a yellow head Amazon parrot belong to?
A yellow head Amazon parrot (Amazona oratrix) belongs to the class Aves.
How many yellow head Amazon parrots are there in the world?
There are about 7000 yellow head amazon parrots in the wild today. Unfortunately, their population drastically fell due to habitat loss and illegal poaching in the past two decades.
Where does a yellow head Amazon parrot live?
Yellowhead Amazon parrots live in the tropical savanna, dry forests, and dense forests of South America. In coastal regions of Mexico, mangroves of Guatemala and evergreen forests in Belize. Introduced and bred populations are found in Germany, Southern California, and Puerto Rico.
What is a yellow head Amazon parrot's habitat?
The preferred natural habitat of the yellow-headed Amazon parrot is tropical forests. It is found in the mangrove forests and forests near rivers. It prefers to live in mangrove forests or forests near rivers or other water bodies. They also feed on crops, especially millets, and can sometimes raid the fields.
Who does yellow head amazon parrot live with?
Double yellow-headed amazons live in small to large groups and flock together during dusk in the wild. They are monogamous and mate for a lifetime.
How long does a yellow head amazon parrot live?
The average lifespan of a double yellow-head amazon parrot is 50 years. But there is a possibility of this bird falling prey to jaguars, ocelots, hawks, or monkeys in the wild. Snakes prey on the eggs and nestlings.
How do they reproduce?
The birds are sexually mature by four to five years of age, and their breeding season starts around May. The female lays up to five eggs that are incubated for about a month.
The male regurgitates the food to feed the female during this time. The young are on their own about 10 weeks after hatching. They are monogamous birds and mate for life.
What is their conservation status?
According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of the yellow head Amazon parrot is Endangered.
Yellow Head Amazon Parrot Fun Facts
What does the yellow head Amazon parrot look like?
The double yellow-headed amazon parrot is all green with bright yellow in its head and neck region. The thighs and the tail end feathers are also yellow.
The red color at the end of the wings and outer secondaries of flight feathers can be seen. The flight feathers are black or bluish violet which makes the bird all the more beautiful to watch as it spreads its wings.
Yellow-headed amazons have very similar plumage to yellow-crowned Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala) and yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata) with subtle differences.
How cute are they?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots are one of the cutest and talkative birds in the world. And it is no surprise they are in high demand in the pet trade.
How do they communicate?
Double yellow-headed parrots are talkative and boisterous birds. They make loud shrilling sounds when excited or feel threatened. They have fantastic vocal abilities to communicate with each other. Also, these parrots are famous for their excellent speech qualities and can learn to talk to many words.
How big is a yellow head Amazon parrot?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrot grows to a length between 15-17 in (38-43 cm).
How fast can a yellow head Amazon parrot fly?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots can fly at 40-50 mph (64.3-80.4 kph) speeds, however, it is unknown how high can this bird fly. Small to large flocks of these birds were observed in the skies before dusk above the wild forest range in their roosting sites.
But, of course, now it is a thing of the past as their numbers have shrunk drastically in the past two decades.
How much does a yellow head Amazon parrot weigh?
An adult double yellow-headed amazon parrot weighs 18.34 oz (520 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots do not have any special names based on their sex but are simply called the male bird and female bird. They are also sometimes referred to as the cock and hen, which is common across most bird species. A group of parrots is known as a pandemonium.
What would you call a baby yellow head Amazon parrot?
A baby double yellow-headed amazon parrot does have any special name of its own. But a juvenile bird is called a chick in general and hatchling or a fledgling depending on the stages of its development.
What do they eat?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots eat a variety of seeds and nuts. In captivity, their food includes fruits and vegetables as well as bird mix for good health.
Are they poisonous?
No, double yellow-headed Amazon parrots are not poisonous.
Would they make a good pet?
Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots are intelligent and beautiful birds that make excellent pets. They are very playful and build strong bonds with their keepers.
They get very much attached to the family and are a joy to have around with their chatting abilities.
Bring the bird young from a reputed breeder to avoid any complications later since the bird is under the Endangered category and strict laws are in place to protect it. The lovely bird may cost anywhere around $2000 or more as it is one of the exotic pets to own.
These birds are famous for their speech abilities. Once the bird is three months old, proper training can make this bird learn up to 200-250 words.
The bird is also known to learn opera and other types of singing. They are charming singers. And often, non-stop talkers pick up small phrases from their keepers.
Their loud vocal abilities and intelligence to pick up words very fast make them all the more loving, along with their beautiful appearance. Not often, but some birds are said to not talk ever in their lifetime.
The birds are very intelligent as well as emotional and need a lot of attention and constant one-to-one interactions. Their intelligence levels and attention-seeking behavior are compared to that of an adult toddler.
So basically, it is a fun-filled, hand full task to pet a yellow-headed parrot that performs all sorts of amusing antics to seek your attention.
And this is the reason why taking care of this intelligent creature becomes all the more important to avoid destructive behavior patterns and depression leading to feather plucking and biting people.
But with proper care and attention, they become wonderful family members. Hand feeding and careful handling by all the family members daily from a young age will keep its physical and emotional health in good condition.
A high-quality pellet diet with loads of fruits and vegetables is all the more important for this yellow-headed parrot. Although it loves all varieties of seeds and nuts, obesity can become a problem for this species of birds in captivity.
This affects its longevity and also may raise other health issues. So restrict on fat food and feed your pet with lots of fresh bird vegetables and fruits every day, balancing out its nutritional needs.
A spacious cage and bird gym keep the bird active and healthy. And when there is a lack of activity, the birds get easily bored and resume screaming behavior in lieu of something to do.
Please give them a lot of toys. Double yellow-headed Amazon parrots have incredibly long lives of around 50 years and sometimes more under proper care.
Did you know...
The beautiful colors of red, green, and yellow of the feathers of parrots are because of a pigment that resists bacteria and only present in parrots.
Double yellow-headed Amazons are one of the species of birds that have been known to be kept in captivity since the 1500s by both pirates and nobles.
How much does a double yellow-headed Amazon parrot cost?
A double yellow-headed Amazon parrot costs anywhere between $2000 - $3000. It is an exotic pet to own.
Are they predators?
No, double yellow-headed Amazon parrots are not predators.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Cooper's hawk facts and kea parrot facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable double yellow-headed Amazon parrot coloring pages.