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PARROTS and Allies

The order Psittaciformes is comprised of the parrots and their allies. They are found in most warm and tropical regions. The greatest diversity of parrots is found in South America and Australasia. Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, and strong legs. Like woodpeckers, they have 2 toes pointing forward (digits 2, 3) and 2 toes pointing backward (digits 1, 4). Most parrots are predominantly green, with other bright colors. They generally exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism. The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds and other plant material. Almost all parrots nest in tree holes. Parrots are some of the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some parrot species to imitate human voices enhances their popularity as pets.

These links lead to Psittaciformes web pages.
African (Psittacidae)
Asian (Psittaculidae)
Australasian(Cacatuoidea): Cockatoo
Australasian (Psittaculidae): Lorikeet, Parrots-and-Parakeet
 South American (Psittacidae): Amazon, Macaw, Parrots-and-Parakeet


South American Amazons

Order Psittaciformes    Family Psittacidae

Amazon parrots are medium-size parrots of genus Amazona. The range from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. Most are predominantly green, with accenting colors that depend on the species and can be quite vivid. They feed primarily on seeds, nuts, and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter. Many Amazon parrots have a remarkable ability to mimic human speech and other sounds.

Genus Amazona

Amazon, Black-billed  also  Black-billed Parrot  Amazona agilis  Found: Jamaica
The Black-billed Amazon has mostly green plumage; small patches or red on wings; black bill.
Image by: 1, 2) Ron Knight - Jamaica 3) Linda_Bushman


Amazon,_Blue-cheeked  also  Blue-cheeked Parrot   Amazona dufresniana Found: northeast South America
The Blue-cheeked Amazon has mostly green plumage; blue cheek; yellowish crown; orange lores; white eye-ring.
Image by: 1) TJ Lin   2) Florin_Feneru  3) Pinned  4) Pinned


Amazon, Blue-fronted also  Turquoise-fronted Amazon  Amazona aestiva  Found: North America (introduced), South America
Unlike most other Amazona parrots, the bill is mostly black. The amount of blue and yellow on the head is variable from individual to individiual.
Similar to: Yellow-shouldered Amazon. Blue-fronted Amazon has dark bill; Yellow-shouldered Amazon has light bill.
Image by: 1) Matthew Watts  2)  Andrea  3) Dick Daniels - Jungle Island of Miami  4)  Nick Athanas - Brazil


Amazon, Cuban  also  Cuban Parrot  Amazona leucocephala  Found: Caribbean
The Cuban Amazon has green upperparts; white fore-crown, eye region; pink face, throat; underparts with varying amounts of pink; faint barring on underparts; ivory colored bill.
Image by: 1) Donar Reiskoffer - Palmitos Park, Gan Canaria, Spain  2) Dominic Sherony  3) Laura Gooch  4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - San Francisco Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Bronx Zoo 



Amazon, Festive  Amazona festiva  Found: north and central South America
The Festive Amazon has mainly green plumage; blue on face of variable extent; gray bill; blue wings visible in flight. Bodini subpecies more yellow than nominate subspecies.
Image by:  1) Claudio Timm - Brazil  2)  Nick Athanas  3) Remiz   3) Berthold Werner  4) Christopher G s
4) A. f. bodini


Amazon,_Hispaniolan also Hispaniolan Parrot  Amazona ventralis  Found: Haiti, Dominican Republic.
The Hispaniolan Amazon has mainly green plumage; white forehead, eye-ring; blue ear patch, red belly, It has been introduced to North America, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands.
Similar to: White-fronted Amazon. For the Hispaniolan Amazon the white on the forehead contects with white eye-ring; for the White-fronted Amazon the white on the forehead is isolated from the white eye-ring.
Image by: 1) Mario Davalos - Dominican Republic  2) TJ Lin  3) Jose_Alney_Uribe  4) Pinned


Amazon,_Imperial  also  Imperial Parrot  Amazona imperialis  Found: Dominica island in the Caribbean
The Imperial Amazon has green upperparts; purple neck; purple underparts with dark barring; red tail with green tip.
Image by: 1) Lillian Bane   2) Pinned  3) Pinned


Amazon,_Kawall's  Amazona kawalli  Found: south-central Amazon region
The Kawall's Amazon has mainly green plumage; narrow white strip at bill base; thin white eye-ring; some blue and red on outermost flight feathers.
Image by: 1) Jacek_Kisielewski - Brazil  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Bradley_Davis


Amazon, Lilac-crowned also Lilac-crowned Parrot  Amazona finschi  Found: United States (introduced), Mexico
The Lilac-crowned Amazon has a maroon forehead, and violet-blue crown.
Similar to Red-crowned Amazon. Red-crowned Amazon and Lilac-crowned Amazon have a red / maroon forehead, but only the Red-crowned Amazon has a red crown.
Similar to Red-lored Amazon. Lilac-crowned Amazon has maroon forehead; Red-lored Amazon has a red forehead. Red-lored Amazon has darker bill.
Image by:  1) Brian Gratewicke - Panama  2) CDest  3) Cedric Allier


Amazon, Mealy also Mealy Parrot  Amazona farinosa   Found: North America (introduced), Mexico to central South America
The Mealy Amazon has mostly green plumage; blue or yellowish crown; white eye-ring; tail my be yellow tipped.
Similar to: Yellow-crowned Amazon. Mealy Amazon has darker eye than Yellow-crowned Amazon.
Image by: 1) Petr Kosina - Mexico  2) Amy McAndrews - Mexico  3) D Gordon Robertson - Peru   4) Don Kasak


Amazon, Orange-winged also Orange-winged Parrot Amazona amazonica  Found: North America (introduced), South America
Orange-winged Amazon has mainly green pluma;e blue and yellow feathers on head which varies in extent between individuals.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Jungle Island of Miami   4) Dick - Mayaquez Zoo, Puerto Rico


Amazon,_Puerto_Rican  also  Puerto Rican Parrot  Amazona vittata  Found: Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican Amazon has mainly green plumage; red forehead; white eye-ring.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Tom MacKenzie - USFWS  4) Pinned


Amazon, Red-crowned also Red-crowned Parrot  Amazona viridigenalis  Found: United States (introduced), Mexico
Red-crowned Amazon has bright red forehead and crown, dark blue streaks behind the eyes, and light green cheeks.
Similar to Lilac-crowned Amazon. Red-crowned Amazon and Lilac-crowned Amazon have a red / maroon forehead, but only the Red-crowned Amazon has a red crown.
Similar to: Red-lored Amazon.  Red-lored Amazon has red on forehead; Red-crowned Amazon has red forehead and crown.
Image by: 1) F Leonhard   2) Rachael Fogarty  3) Roger Glandeur 


Amazon, Red-lored also Red-lored Parrot  Amazona autumnalis  Found: USA (introduced), Mexico to northwest South America
The Red-lored Amazon has mainly green plumage; red forehead, lores; sometimes yellow on cheeks; white eye-ring.
Similar to Lilac-crowned Amazon. Lilac-crowned Amazon has maroon forehead; Red-lored Amazon has a red forehead. Red-lored Amazon has darker bill.
Similar to: Red-crowned Amazon.  Red-lored Amazon has red on forehead; Red-crowned Amazon has red forehead and crown.
Image by: 1) Thomasz Wagner - Mexico  2) Tom Eppenberger Jr. - Belize Zoo  3) Steve Wilson   4) Nick Athanas - Panama


Amazon,_Red-necked  also  Red-necked Parrot  Amazona arausiaca  Found: island of Dominica in the Caribbean
The Red-necked Amazon has mainly green plumage; blue face; red fore-neck.
Image by: 1, 2  Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - John_McKean  3) Pinned


Amazon, Red-browed   also  Red-browed Parrot  Amazona rhodocorytha  Found: eastern Brazil
The Red-browed Amazon has mainly green plumage; red forehead; blue throat; varying amounts of blue on face; gray eye-ring, bill.
Image by: 1) Duncan Ralinson 2) Nick Athanas  - Brazill  3) Ricardo_Pereira  4) Claudio_Timm


Amazon,_Red-crowned  also  Red-crowned Parrot  Amazona viridigenalis  Found: northeastern Mexico
The Red-crowned Amazon has mainly green pluamge; red crown; blue arc to rear of eye; light green cheeks; ivory colored bill.
Image by: 1) Leonhard F  2) Rachael Fogarty  3) ernieslone  3) Tim_Benson


Amazon,_Red-spectacled  also  Red-spectacled Parrot  Amazona pretrei  Found: Agentina, Brazil, Paraguay
The Red-spectacled Amazon has mainly green plumate; red forehead, lores, around eye, shoulder; white eye-ring; blue tips to wings; yellow bill.
Image by: 1) Marie  2) Andrea Guimaraes  3) Paulo Barradas  4) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Hudson


Amazon,_Red-tailed  also  Red-tailed Parrot  Amazona brasiliensis  Found: southeast Brazil
The Red-tailed Amazon has mainly green plumage; purple throat, cheeks; red forecrown. Red on the tail is only visible when the tail is spread open.
Image by: 1) Lip Kee  2) Nick Athanas - Brazil  3) Brendan_Ryan  4) birdphotos.com


Amazon,_Saint_Lucia   also  Saint Lucia Parrot  Amazona versicolor  Found: Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean
The Saint Lucia Amazon has mainly green plumage; purple head; red on throat, upper-breast; gray bill.
Image by: 1) Josh_More 2) Mark Stevens 32) Ross Tsai


Amazon, Saint Vincent  also  Saint Vincent Parrot  Amazona guildingii  Found: Saint Vincent Island in the Caribbean
The Saint Vincent Amazon, mainly green, is multicolored. It has blue-green wings; dark blue tail with yellow tip; whitish face, forehead; yellow and blue nape.
Image by: 1) Rjkooljay  2) Chennette  3) Pinned


Amazon,_Scaly-naped  also  Scaly-naped Parrot  Amazona mercenarius  Found: South America
The Scaly-naped Amazon has mainly green plumage; faint barring on neck; red, blue, yellow tail feathers near tip. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Image by:   1) Nick Athanas  2) Gordon Appleton - Ecuador   3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Felix_Uribe


Amazon,_Tucuman   also  Tucuman Parrot  Amazona tucumana  Found: Argentina, Bolivia
The Tucuman Amazon has mainly green plumage; some red on the fore-crown; green tail with yellowish areas and some red at the base; white eye-ring; ivory colored bill.
Image by: 1) Carlos Urdiales  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online-Daniel_Almiron  3) Pinned


Amazon, Vinaceous-breasted  also  Vinaceous-breasted Amazon Amazona vinacea  Found: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
The Vinaceous-breasted Amazon has green upperparts; green head with red forehead and bluish nape; vinous-maroon breast; gray eye-ring.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Francisco Zoo  3) Gustavo Duran - Paraguay 4) Pinned


Amazon, White-fronted also White-fronted Parrot  Amazona albifrons  Found: United States (introduced), Central America
The White-fronted Amazon has mostly green plumage; blue crown with white forehead; red under eyes. Males have some red on shoulders; yellow bill; pale eye-ring.
Similar to: Hispaniolan Amazon. For the Hispaniolan Amazon the white on the forehead contects with white eye-ring; for the White-fronted Amazon the white on the forehead is isolated from the white eye-ring.
Image by: 1) Nathan Rupert - San Diego Zoo  2) Josh Henderson  3) B Miry   4) Nick Athanas - Costa Rica


Amazon, Yellow-billed  also Yellow-billed Parrot  Amazona collaria  Found: Jamaica
The Yellow-billed Amazon has mainly green plumage; pinkish throat, upper-breast, neck-sides; white eye-ring; whitish forehead; bluish fore-crown; yellow bill.
Image by: 1) Wayne Sutherfield - Jamaica  2) Marcel Holyoak - Jamaica  3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Wenfei_Tong


Amazon,_Yellow-crowned also Yellow-crowned Parrot  Amazona ochrocephala   Found: The Americas
The Yellow-crowned Amazon has mainly green plumage; yellow crown; white eye-ring; gray bill. It is found in Central and South America. There are often escapees in North America.
Similar to: Mealy Amazon. Mealy Amazon has darker eye than Yellow-crowned Amazon.
Similar to: Yellow-headed Amazon. Yellow-crowned Amazon has yellow only on top of head; Yellow-headed Amazon has yellow on sides of head.
Similar to: Yellow-naped Amazon. Yellow-naped Amazon has yellow neck; Yellow-crowned Amazon has green nape. Yellow-naped Amazon sometimes considered a subspecies of the Yellow-crowned Amazon.
Image by: 1) Alejandro_Tamayo  2) Dick Daniels - Jungle Island of Miami  3) Barloventomagico


Amazon,_Yellow-headed also Yellow-headed Parrot  Amazona oratrix Found: United States (introduced), Mexico, Central America
The Yellow-headed Amazon has mainly green plumage; yellow head, shoulder; white eye-ring; ivory colored bill.
Similar to Yellow-crowned Amazon. Yellow-crowned Amazon has yellow only on top of head; Yellow-headed Amazon has yellow on sides of head.
Similar to: Yellow-faced Parrot. The ranges of Yellow-faced Parrot and Yellow-headed Amazon do not overlay.
Image by: 1) Steven Lesage  2) Mbtskysurfer  3) Lizzy Foulkes - Vancouver Aquarium, Canada  4) Gary_Denness


Amazon, Yellow-naped also Yellow-naped Parrot Amazona auropalliata    Found: USA (introduced), Mexico to Central America
The Yellow-naped Amazon has mainly green plumage; yellow nape; dark gray bill, feet.
Similar to: Yellow-crowned Amazon. Yellow-naped Amazon has yellow neck; Yellow-crowned Amazon has green nape. Yellow-naped Amazon sometimes considered a subspecies of the Yellow-crowned Amazon.
Image by:  1) Andrew Gwozdziewycz  2) Michael Gwyther-Jones   3) Dick Daniels - Mayaquez Zoo, Puerto Rico   4) Dick - Jungle Island of Miami  
4) Blue mutation


Amazon, Yellow-shouldered  Amazona barbadensis  Found: Venezuela
The Yellow-shouldered Amazon has mainly green plumage; whitish forehead; white eye-ring; yellow face, shoulder; bluish tinge to throat, belly; ivory colored bill.
Similar to: Blue-fronted Amazon. Blue-fronted Amazon has dark bill; Yellow-shouldered Amazon has light bill.
Image by: 1)T. J. Lin  2) LI refugee  William_Warby  3)  Nick Athanas - Venezuela


Amazon,_Yucatan also Yellow-lored Amazon also Yellow-lored Parrot  Amazona xantholora 
    Found: United States (introduced), Mexico, Central America
The Yucatan Amazon has mainly green plumage; yellow lores; white (male) or blue (female); red cheeks; gray eye-ring; yellow bill; gray eye-ring.
Image by: 1, 3)  Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online-John_McKean  2)  philippe - Mexico  4)  Pinned
1. 2) Female 3, 4) Male





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