Bird Guide

AMAZONS

Amazon parrots range from Mexico and throughout Central and South America. Many are endangered. Amazons can be a very wonderful bird especially if bought as a handfed baby. They are, for the most part, excellent talkers. But, don't buy any bird for that sole reason. Just because a species is known for talking does not mean the individual bird you get will be a good talker.

They are very playful, especially as youngsters. Amazons are extremely intelligent and are not above manipulation, either of objects or of people. Up until the time that puberty hits, they may be sweet, loving family birds, then hormones strike. This wonderful bird might choose one person over another and will bite everyone else. Amazons have developed a reputation for this problem. However, with proper training this does not necessarily have to happen. There are many Amazons that remain loving family birds all their lives, and are friendly to everyone. People buying handfed babies are taking time and effort to learn more about bird behavior. When raised properly, the bird may not develop severe problems.

There are 56 different species of Amazons. Unfortunately, many of them are becoming endangered in the wild. Popular species of Amazons are the blue-fronted, yellow-naped, yellow-fronted, double yellow-headed, mealy or blue-crowned, orange-winged, redheaded, Panama, lilac-crowned, and spectacled.

	Yellow-fronted (also known as yellow-crowned or yellow-headed Amazon) are good talkers but can be very moody, especially around the breeding season. They have a tendency to chose one person over others, though it occurs less in this species than in the other yellow-headed species. They are very underrated as pets and should be considered more often, especially if this is for a family pet. As handfed babies, they tend to be lacking the aggression of other yellow-headed birds. The yellow-fronted tends to be more mellow than the napes or the double-yellow heads.
Panama Amazons are similar in personality to the Yellow-fronts. At one time very plentiful this changed when exportations stopped in the 80's. Afterwards those that were brought in usually belonged to U.S. Military personal when they returned to the U.S. after their duty.
	Double-yellow heads are excellent talkers, and like the yellow-fronted Amazons, can be moody, though handfed babies may not be as moody. They also have the tendency to chose one person over the other. Double yellow-heads tend to be noisy and full of energy. They are natural show-offs, though this ability will vary from bird to bird. Before they reach maturity they have rather consistent personalities. The males can tend to become rather aggressive once mature. However, if any aggression is addressed immediately the bird can remain an excellent pet.
Yellow-naped Amazons are highly intelligent and are excellent talkers. Not only can they talk, but they can sing. Many can sing songs all the way through! Yellow-napes develop the yellow patch on the back of their necks or napes at around one year of age. These birds have the reputation of being rather noisy and boisterous. They also have a reputation of being rather comical, loving to show off. They can be very affectionate towards that one special person they bond to, and aggressive towards others. Some people believe that females are more even tempered. They can be extremely moody, especially once they mature and even more so around breeding season. They tend to chose one person over the other.
	Orange-winged Amazons have much more mellow personalities and are not quite as moody as the yellow-headed Amazons. They are friendly and easy-going. Their talking ability is not as good as the yellow-headed Amazons, however.
Blue-fronted Amazons are very good talkers but tend to share the moodiness of the yellow headed Amazons. Clever and entertaining, they are fun to watch. They are not as demanding as the yellow headed Amazons, but can be just as nippy. They can develop strong personalities, and can become very mischievous and sometimes jealous.
	Lilac-crowned Amazons are small, shy and easy-going rather than aggressive and gregarious. They are underrated as pets. Though not normally known for their talking ability, some hand-fed individuals can develop a rather large vocabulary. They are also not as noisy as other Amazons.
	White-fronted (also known as spectacled Amazons) are the smallest member of the Amazon family. These little guys are fearless. Noisy and nippy at times, they are energetic and so much fun to watch as they play that their owners tend to overlook these problems. Females tend to be more even-tempered than the males. They are average talkers.
Redheaded Amazons are very mellow and shy. These birds do not tend to develop as many of the problem behaviors such as biting and screaming as the other Amazons do. While not known for their talking ability, they tend to mimic sounds rather than words. They are underrated as pets. In Mexico, they are considered to be pests because they destroy crops.

 Red-lored Amazons are sometimes called yellow-checked Amazons. They are known for their affectionate nature, their even temper, and personality. Unfortunately, they can also be rather noisy.

Mealy Amazons are big birds, around 15-16 inches in length. While not usually seen these birds have incredible personalities. They may not be as good of a talker as some of the other Amazons, but they make up for it in other ways. They can be noisy at times, but they are also outgoing, friendly, entertaining and affectionate.

Some other species of Amazons include: Imperial, Festive, St. Lucia, Cuban, Red-necked, Black-billed, Puerto Rican, Scaly-naped, Hispaniola, St. Vincent, Vinaceous, Yellow-shouldered, Yellow-billed, Kawall's or White-faced, Red-spectacled, Red-tailed, Blue-cheeked, Red-browed, Yellow-faced and the Yellow-lored or Yucatan. These Amazons are rare. These birds should not be kept as pets but rather should be put into an authorized breeding conservation program.

Amazons have a sweet musty smell that some people do not like. Showering daily will make this smell less noticeable. Some Amazons will demand their daily shower.

Amazons display by fanning their tail feathers, ruffling the feathers on the back of their heads, and by dilating their eyes. An Amazon displaying like this is best to leave alone.

Amazons have a reputation for being on the heavy side. They love their food, any food. Because of this they are prone to dietary problems such as obesity, fatty liver syndrome, and vitamin A deficiencies. They are also prone to upper respiratory infections, bacterial infections, pox virus, mutilation syndrome, chlamydiosis, and other problems.

Amazons can live for a long time, with verified reports of 75 years or older.