Blue-cheeked Amazon
Amazona dufresniana
Generally uncommon parrot of lowland rainforest; also found in premontane forest at higher elevations in the tepui region and locally in savanna forest. Ecology and behavior similar to others in the genus. Note voice and burnt-orange forehead; diagnostic blue cheeks can be difficult to see. Feeds on fruit and flowers in the canopy; often seen commuting to or from roosts, or between feeding areas. Vocalizations are varied; most common call is a repeated yelp, similar to Orange-winged Parrot but somewhat lower-pitched and with a more liquid quality.
Identification
The blue-cheeked amazon is 34 to 37 cm (13 to 15 in) long and weighs 481 to 615 g (17 to 22 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults are mostly green. They are ochre on their lores and immediate forehead; the rest of the forehead and most of their crown are yellow with green tips on the feathers. Their lower half of their face, the sides of their neck, and the sides of their throat are lavender blue. Their nape and the rest of their upperparts and their underparts are green. The feathers of the nape and side of the neck have black edges that give a scalloped appearance. Their tail feathers are green with yellow tips that are wider on the outer feathers. The carpal edge of their wing is yellowish green and their primaries are black with blue outer webs. Their inner secondaries are green with pale blue tips and the outer ones bright yellow or orange, also with pale blue tips. Their iris is blackish, their bill dusky with a red base on the maxilla, and their legs and feed gray. Immature birds are similar to adults, but with less blue on the head and duller yellow on the crown.
Taxonomy
The blue-cheeked amazon is monotypic. Previously what is now the red-browed amazon (A. rhodocorythra) was treated as a subspecies of the blue-cheeked, and at other times both of them were treated as subspecies of the red-tailed amazon (A. brasiliensis).<p>The specific epithet of this species commemorates the French zoologist Louis Dufresne.[citation needed]
- Scientific name
- Amazona dufresniana
- Authority
- (Shaw, 1812)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Amazona
Range and habitat
The blue-cheeked amazon is found from extreme eastern Venezuela east through Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana and south slightly into northern Brazil. The species' habitat requirements are not well understood. In the Venezuela/Guyana tepui zone it occurs in humid lowland forest and the foothills. In Suriname it occurs during part of the year in forests on the coastal sand ridges. In elevation it ranges from sea level to (in Venezuela) 1,700 m (5,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The blue-cheeked amazon is thought to be generally sedentary but some make seasonal movements between the Suriname interior and coast. It generally travels in single-species flocks of up to about 30 birds.<p>The blue-cheeked amazon feeds mostly in the forest canopy. Its diet is almost unknown; it is assumed to include seeds, fruits, and blossoms like that of other Amazona parrots.<p>Almost all of the limited knowledge about the blue-cheeked amazon's breeding biology is from captive birds. In captivity their clutch size is three eggs and the incubation period is 23 to 26 days.<p>The blue-cheeked amazon is highly vocal except when feeding. On characteristic call is "a loud, raucous, and throaty queenk-queenk-queenk...with [a] distinctly nasal quality" which is given both from a perch and in flight. They also make "harsher notes and a gurgling, babbling song."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant
Lophotriccus galeatus
Tiny flycatcher; common and widespread, but heard far more often than seen. When seen well, note pale eye and elongated crown feathers, giving this bird a hammer-headed appearance. Found in humid forest understory and second-growth as well as in savanna woodland. Frequently found near gaps and vine tangles where it sits quietly, then sallies upward to glean insects from leaves. Song is an irregular series of ticking notes that sometimes runs into a trill, often given for long periods throughout the day. Similar to Double-banded Pygmy-Tyrant, but vocalizations are less buzzy.
Burnished-buff Tanager
Stilpnia cayana
A common tanager of savannas, forest borders, woodlands, and gardens. Often seen in pairs or with other species at fruiting trees, but usually not with mixed-species flocks. Males have a black face, throat, breast, and belly that is flanked by buffy sides. The crown and back are also buff and the wings and tail are dark-green. Females are buffy below with greenish back and wings, a pale throat, and a faint mask. The northern subspecies has a black mask (lacking the black throat and belly) with a violet gray throat and buffy belly.
Rufous-crowned Greenlet
Hylophilus poicilotis
Small, vireo-like bird found in the canopy of humid forests and second growth where it regularly accompanies mixed-species flocks. It has a cinnamon crown, dark streaky cheeks, a white throat and is olive-green above and yellowish below. Similar to Gray-eyed Greenlet, but with dark rather than gray eyes. The song is a fast repetitive “swee-swee-swee.”
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