Yellow Headed Parrot

Names: Yellow-headed parrots, Yellow-headed amazon, or Amazona oratrix

Classification: Animal, of the order Psittaciformes (parrot)

Description: Yellow-headed parrots are medium-sized parrots that average around 36-38 cm long. Their weight averages around 500g, heavy for a bird. Their feathers are colored vibrantly, which gives them their name. Their bodies are green, but their heads and necks are usually yellow, and sometimes contain green patches around the neck. In addition, their necks sometimes have a light black color. Their eyes are orange, with a white ring around them. Their beaks are a pale yellow color. Their legs are usually yellow. At the bends of their wings is usually a patch of red or orange feathers, and their wings usually contain some yellow. Their tails are mostly green, with some red at the base. There are 5 different subspecies of the yellow-headed amazon, each with slightly different coloration.

These parrots typically live to be about 50 or 60 years, quite long. Yellow-headed amazon babies incubate for about 26 days, and are fledglings, or young birds unable to fly yet, for 9 weeks. At birth they weigh about 15 grams.

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Habitat: Examples of places where yellow-headed amazons can typically be found includes warm forests, mangrove swamps (which are trees that grow in brackish coastal water), coastal scrubs (coastal land where many shrubs grow), savannas (mixed woodland and grassland), and other wooded areas.

Niche: Yellow-headed parrots have the role of eating plant-related foods, and usually are killed by human threats, like deforestation and poaching. They usually must live in a wooded environment.

Food sources: Yellow-headed parrots are prey, usually eating plants-related foods, which include fruits like berries and figs, nuts, flower blossoms, leaf buds, and some human-grown crops like maize.

Status: Yellow-headed amazons are an endangered species according to the IUCN Listing. Their world population is estimated to be 7000. Its population is declining due to human threats.

Cultural significance: Yellow-headed amazons are a type of parrot, which are important in many cultures. An example is the Nazcas, an ancient group who lived near Peru, who created artwork of a parrot. They did this by creating gigantic mile-length lines, which form the shape of a parrot from the sky. This parrot is one of the many Nazca Lines. Another form of parrots in cultural artwork include rock art of parrots created by natives in the Americas. Another example is in Mayan religion, where the parrot was part of the creation myth. The parrot was one of the four creatures which helped the gods create new beings.

Yellow-headed amazons also play a role in the pet trade. Wild amazons are illegally captured by poachers and sold. Captive amazons are legally able to be sold, and are a popular pet for their intelligence, ability to speak, and long life span.

Story about a yellow-headed parrot: At a facility for the Department of Veterans Affairs and a sanctuary for parrots without homes named Serenity Park, a male yellow-headed amazon named Joey met a man named Matt Simmons. Matt was a yeoman in the Navy (someone who performs documentation and administrative duties) who had to see lots of deaths, and was later diagnosed with PTSD. Joey was a parrot who arrived at the center around the same time as Matt, and showed special care for others. Joey bonded with Matt, letting only Matt touch him, which was special because yellow-headed amazons are usually unfriendly. Matt was able to talk about the traumatic events in his life more openly because of his experience with Joey.

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Sources: https://www.parrots.org/encyclopedia/yellow-headed-amazon

http://www.arkive.org/yellow-headed-parrot/amazona-oratrix/

https://aqua.org/explore/animals/yellow-headed-amazon-parrot

https://www.thespruce.com/double-yellow-headed-amazon-parrots-390253

http://parrotfunzone.com/explore-parrots/parrots-in-culture

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/magazine/what-does-a-parrot-know-about-ptsd.html