Amazon parrot
| Amazon Parrot | |
|---|---|
| |
| Yellow-headed Amazon parrot Amazona oratrix | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Psittacimorphae |
| Order | Psittaciformes |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Psittacidae |
| Sub-family | Psittacinae |
| Tribe Information | |
| Tribe | Arini |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Amazona |
| Population statistics | |
Amazon parrots are a genus of raucous birds within the order Psittaciformes, consisting of about 32 species found in the tropical regions of Central and South America. Nearly all are kept as cage birds, with several species vying with the African gray parrot as masters of the imitation of human speech and many other sounds. It is primarily due to the pet trade that several species are threatened with extinction.[1]
Description
Amazon parrots are medium-sized birds with short, blunt tails, unlike their macaw and conure relatives. Green is the predominant color, however, individual species are normally identified by a specific color characteristic, i.e. the patch of yellow on the yellow-headed amazon, or the patches of blue and red on the festive amazon.
Amazons have an upright stance when perched; when not flying they move about in the trees using their hooked beak as a climbing aid. On the ground they walk with a rolling gait. Both feet are zygodactyl, i.e. two toes in front, two toes behind, a trait shared with owls and woodpeckers. Amazons further use one foot as a "hand" to hold and bring food to its mouth.
Amazon plumage, as well as that of other parrots, is also unique in that the brilliant colors are not the result of diet; they are made directly within the feathers by a set of five pigments, or psittacofulvins, a trait found in no other bird species.[2]
Phylogeny
- Family Psittacidae
- Subfamily Psittacinae
- Tribe Arini
- Genus Amazona
- Black-billed Amazon parrot, Amazona agilis
- Blue-cheeked Amazon parrot, Amazona dufresniana
- Blue-fronted Amazon parrot, Amazona aestiva
- Cuban Amazon parrot, Amazona leucocephala
- Festive Amazon parrot, Amazona festiva
- Guadelupe Amazon parrot, Amazona violacea (extinct)
- Hispaniolan Amazon parrot, Amazona ventralis
- Imperial Amazon parrot, Amazona imperialis
- Kawall's Amazon parrot, Amazona kawalli
- Lilac-crowned Amazon parrot, Amazona finschi
- Martinique Amazon parrot, Amazona martinica (extinct)
- Mealy Amazon parrot, Amazona farinosa
- Orange-winged Amazon parrot, Amazona amazonica
- Puerto Rican Amazon parrot, Amazona vittata
- Red-browed Amazon parrot, Amazona rhodocorytha
- Red-crowned Amazon parrot, Amazona viridigenalis
- Red-lored Amazon parrot, Amazona autumnalis
- Red-necked Amazon parrot, Amazona arausiaca
- Red-spectacled Amazon parrot, Amazona pretrei
- Red-tailed Amazon parrot, Amazona brasiliensis
- St. Lucia Amazon parrot, Amazona versicolor
- St. Vincent Amazon parrot, Amazona guildingii
- Scaly-naped Amazon parrot, Amazona mercenarius
- Tucuman Amazon parrot, Amazona tucumana
- Vinaceous Amazon parrot, Amazona vinacea
- White-fronted Amazon parrot, Amazona albifrons
- Yellow-billed Amazon parrot, Amazona collaria
- Yellow-crowned Amazon parrot, Amazona ochrocephala
- Yellow-headed Amazon parrot, Amazona oratrix
- Yellow-naped Amazon parrot, Amazona auropalliata
- Yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot, Amazona barbadensis
- Yucatan Amazon parrot, Amazona xantholora
- Genus Amazona
- Tribe Arini
