Festive Amazon
Amazona festiva
Medium-sized, chunky parrot; typically appears entirely green with a contrasting red forehead. Usually found in pairs or larger groups; feeds on fruit and flowers, sometimes commuting long distances between feeding sites. Locally distributed and unlikely to be encountered away from seasonally flooded forests along large rivers or in coastal regions. Smaller than Blue-cheeked Parrot with darker face pattern and black bill. Festive Parrot also lacks contrasting orange patch on wing and has a burrier, more nasal call than Blue-cheeked Parrot.
Identification
The subspecies bodini has more red to the forecrown and more blue to the face than the nominate. In flight, both subspecies show deep blue outer wings (outer webs of the primaries and the primary coverts) and a red rump, but the latter is reduced in juveniles.
Taxonomy
The festive amazon was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus festivus. Linnaeus mistakenly specified the type location as "Indies". It was later designated as the Amazon River in Brazil. The festive amazon is now one of around thirty species placed in the genus Amazona that was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1830. The genus name is a Latinized version of the name Amazone used in the 18th century by the Comte de Buffon. The specific epithet festivus is Latin for "festive" or "cheerful".<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Amazona festiva
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Amazona
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies is found near rivers in the Amazon Basin, while the subspecies bodini, is found near the Orinoco River.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes burrovianus
Found in savannas, wetlands, and other open areas, usually gliding low to the ground with wings held in a shallow V. Overall looks very much like the slightly larger Turkey Vulture (TV), but head is more colorful, with a yellow face and pale blue crown; at a distance, head appears paler than dark red head of TV. The upperwings show stronger whitish patches on the tips, rather than the pale brownish patches of TV.
Southern Penduline-Tit
Anthoscopus minutus
A tiny, short-tailed bird with a small fine bill, yellowish underparts, a green back, and a gray head with fine grizzled black-and-white scaly patterning on the forehead. Pairs and small groups forage restlessly for invertebrates and fruits, dangling upside down while they search. The species occurs in desert and semi-desert scrub, preferring taller thorn trees for nesting. It is often detected by its song, a repeated series of 5-7 high-pitched “chiueew” notes. Multiple birds may also give simple high-pitched tinkling and rasping notes. The similar African Penduline-Tit differs from Southern Penduline-Tit in areas of overlap by being smaller, lacking a grizzled forehead, and having buff (not yellowish) underparts.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Bubo bubo
Very large and powerful owl with obvious ear tufts, deep orange eyes, and finely streaked pale buffy underparts. Active mainly at night, but can be seen perched up on prominent lookouts at dusk, searching for prey. Can be found roosting during the day in shady canopy or caves. Pairs often duet, with the male giving a deep, resounding hoot and the female giving a hoarser, higher-pitched one. Inhabits a wide range of habitats, from forests to rocky canyons, but generally abundant nowhere.
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