Amazon parrot 163423 225797426 2008-07-15T13:19:22Z Snowmanradio 626138 /* Gallery */ typo {{Taxobox | name = Amazon parrots | image = Blue-fronted amazon parrot 31l07.JPG | image_width = 220px | image_caption = [[Blue-fronted Amazon]] (''Amazona aestiva'') | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Psittaciformes]] | familia = [[Psittacidae]] | subfamilia = [[Psittacinae]] | tribus = [[Neotropical parrots|Arini]] | genus = '''''Amazona''''' | genus_authority = [[René-Primevère Lesson|Lesson]], 1830 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = Many, see text.<ref>[http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177782 ITIS standard report page: Amazona]record last updated 1998 (URL accessed May 22, 2006)</ref> }} An '''Amazon parrot''' is a large [[parrot]] of the [[genus]] ''Amazona'' native to the [[New World]] ranging from [[South America]] to [[Mexico]] and the [[Caribbean]]. Most Amazons are predominantly green, with accenting colors that depend on the species and can be quite vivid. Amazons, like all parrots, are [[zygodactyl]], having four toes on each foot—two front and two back. They feed primarily on [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]] and [[fruits]], supplemented by leafy matter. Several amazon species are commonly kept as [[pet]]s, including the [[Yellow-headed Amazon]], [[Yellow-naped Amazon]], and [[Blue-fronted Amazon]]. Amazons are known for their exceptional vocal abilities, playfulness, and dexterity with their feet. They are very loyal, loving companions; having them is somewhat like having a two-year-old human child in ability and temperament for 50-plus years. However, some Amazons are aggressive (usually during their mating time), and they all require a lot of attention when kept as pets. Parrots require more attention and care than domesticated pets such as dogs or cats. Parrots are highly intelligent wild animals. While there are a number of species of birds that can be kept as cage-bird pets with little human attention, parrots must have daily attention in order to keep them mentally healthy. Parrots are not for the inexperienced bird owner. All parrots need a lot of stimulating activities to keep from being bored and terribly destructive to themselves and their surroundings. In particular, since Amazons are cavity nesters in the wild, their desire to chew wood is strong, and they need to be provided with destructible toys to satisfy this innate urge. == Classification == * [[Cuban Amazon]] or Rose-throated Parrot, ''Amazona leucocephala'' * [[Yellow-billed Amazon]], ''Amazona collaria'' * [[Hispaniolan Amazon]], ''Amazona ventralis'' * [[Puerto Rican Amazon]], ''Amazona vittata'' * [[Yellow-lored Amazon]], ''Amazona xantholora'' * [[White-fronted Amazon]], ''Amazona albifrons'' * [[Black-billed Amazon]], ''Amazona agilis'' * [[Tucumán Amazon]], ''Amazona tucumana'' * [[Red-spectacled Amazon]], ''Amazona pretrei'' * [[Red-crowned Amazon]], ''Amazona viridigenalis'' * [[Lilac-crowned Amazon]], ''Amazona finschi'' * [[Red-lored Amazon]], ''Amazona autumnalis'' * [[Blue-cheeked Amazon]], ''Amazona dufresniana'' * [[Red-browed Amazon]], ''Amazona rhodocorytha'' * [[Red-tailed Amazon]], ''Amazona brasiliensis'' * [[Festive Amazon]], ''Amazona festiva'' * [[Yellow-shouldered Amazon]], ''Amazona barbadensis'' * [[Blue-fronted Amazon]], ''Amazona aestiva'' * [[Yellow-crowned Amazon]], ''Amazona ochrocephala'' ** [[Yellow-naped Amazon]], ''Amazona (ochrocephala) auropalliata'' ** [[Yellow-headed Amazon]], ''Amazona (ochrocephala) oratrix'' * [[Kawall's Amazon]], ''Amazona kawalli'' * [[Orange-winged Amazon]], ''Amazona amazonica'' * [[Scaly-naped Amazon]], ''Amazona mercenaria''<!-- BullBOC123:7 --> * [[Mealy Amazon]], ''Amazona farinosa'' * [[Vinaceous Amazon]], ''Amazona vinacea'' * [[St Lucia Amazon]], ''Amazona versicolor'' * [[Red-necked Amazon]], ''Amazona arausiaca'' * [[St. Vincent Amazon]], ''Amazona guildingii'' * [[Imperial Amazon]], ''Amazona imperialis'' * [[Martinique Amazon]], ''Amazona martinica'' ([[extinct]]) * [[Guadeloupe Amazon]], ''Amazona violacea'' ([[extinct]]) Another species has traditionally been placed within this genus, but recent research has shown that it is closer to the [[Short-tailed Parrot]] and the species from the genus ''[[Pionus]]'', resulting in it being transferred to the [[monotypic]] genus ''Alipiopsitta'': * [[Yellow-faced Parrot]], ''Alipiopsitta xanthops''<ref>Duarte JMB and Caparroz R (1995) Cytotaxonomic analysis of Brazilian species of the genus Amazona (Psittacidae, Aves) and confirmation of the genus Salvatoria (Ribeiro, 1920). Braz J Genet 18:623-628.</ref><ref name=AmazonePhylogeny>Russello, M.A. & Amato, G (2004) A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and conservation. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30: 421-437.</ref> The [[taxonomy]] of the Yellow-crowned Amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'' complex) is disputed, with some authorities only listing a single species (''A. ochrocephala''), while others split it into as many as three species (''A. ochrocephala'', ''A. auropalliata'' and ''A. oratrix''). The split is primarily based on differences in extend of yellow to the plumage and the colour of bill and legs. [[Phylogenetic]] analysis of [[mtDNA]] do not support the split.<ref>Eberhard, J., & E. Bermingham. 2004. ''Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Amazona ochrocephala (Aves: Psittacidae) Complex.'' Auk 121(2): 318-332</ref> == Gallery == <gallery> Image:Buberel green parrot.jpg|[[Yellow-headed Amazon]] (''Amazona oratrix'') Image:Stavenn Amazona leucocephala 00.jpg|[[Cuban Amazon]] (''Amazona leucocephala'') Image:Amazona amazonica (1).jpg|[[Orange-winged Amazon]] (''Amazona amazonica'') Image:Stavenn Amazona guildingii 01.jpg|[[St. Vincent Amazon]] (''Amazona guildingii'') Image:Charlie White-fronted Amazon Parrot Redvers.jpg|Male [[White-fronted Amazon]] (''Amazona albifrons'') Image:Red Crowned Amazon.jpg|[[Red-crowned Amazon]] (''Amazona viridigenalis'') Image:Lilac-crowned Amazon.jpg|[[Lilac-crowned Amazon]] (''Amazona finschi'') Image:Amazona vittata.jpg|[[Puerto Rican Amazon]] (''Amazona vittata'') </gallery> == References == {{reflist}} Caparroz, R. and J.F. Pacheco, 2006: A homonymy in Psittacidae a new name for Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro. Ararajuba: Rev. Brasileira de Ornitologia. V. 14, n 2, pp. 91-93. == External links == *[http://www.amazonasociety.org/ The Amazona Society] *[http://www.faze.ca/spring2000/amazon.htm Amazon Parrots Article] [[Category:Amazon parrots|*]] [[Category:Birds kept as pets]] [[Category:Genera of birds]] [[Category:Parrots]] [[Category:Talking birds]] [[ca:Amazona]] [[de:Amazonenpapageien]] [[es:Amazona (género)]] [[fr:Amazone (oiseau)]] [[lt:Amazonės (paukštis)]] [[hu:Amazona]] [[nl:Amazonepapegaai]] [[pl:Amazonka (ptak)]] [[pt:Amazona]] [[ru:Амазоны]] [[sk:Amazona]] [[fi:Amatsonit (linnut)]] [[sv:Amazonpapegojor]] [[uk:Амазони]]