Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Amazona aestiva
Large, frequently encountered parrot of woodlands, savannas, and open areas. The body is bright green with a blue forehead and a yellow crown. The amount of yellow on the head varies between individuals and regions; some having mostly yellow faces. The amount of red or yellow on the shoulders also varies. In flight shows large red patches on the inner wings.
Identification
The blue-fronted amazon is a mainly green parrot about 38 cm (15 in) long. They have blue feathers on the forehead above the beak and yellow on the face and crown. Distribution of blue and yellow varies greatly among individuals. Unlike most other Amazona parrots, its beak is mostly black. There is no overt sexual dimorphism to the human eye, but analysis of the feathers using spectrometry, a method which allows the plumage to be seen as it would be by a parrot's tetrachromatic vision, shows clear differences between the plumage of the sexes. Juveniles of parrots are duller and have dark irises.
Taxonomy
The blue-fronted amazon was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its specific epithet is the feminine form of the Latin adjective aestivus, "of the summer". Two subspecies are recognized:<p>The taxon xanthopteryx has been treated as a separate species, but the two subspecies interbreed freely where they come into contact.<p>Additionally, there are significant individual variations in both facial pattern and amount of yellow/red to the "shoulder". In one extreme, individuals with essentially no yellow on the head and entirely green "shoulders" are known from north-western Argentina.
- Scientific name
- Amazona aestiva
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Amazona
Range and habitat
The range of the blue-fronted amazon extends over eastern and northern Bolivia, eastern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is found in forests (though generally avoids extensive humid forests such as the Amazon), woodland, savanna and palm groves.<p>A small feral breeding population is also present in the greener regions of Stuttgart in Germany. Although they have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, they are probably the result of escaped pets, and no reproduction has been recorded.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Itatiaia Spinetail
Asthenes moreirae
Small, plain, long-billed and long-tailed spinetail with a restricted range. Found in bamboo thickets and clearings in montane forests with grass and shrubs where it forages in the understory. Note the rufous chin contrasting with a dull-brown body. The song is a high-pitched ascending and descending trill.
Buru Golden-Bulbul
Hypsipetes mysticalis
A thrush-sized olive-colored songbird with a long, fairly heavy bill. Plumage uniform olive-green except for narrow yellow chin, yellow patch between the bill and the eye, and partial yellow eye-ring above the eye. Pairs or small groups occupy forest, degraded forest, edges, and plantations from sea level to foothills. Unmistakable; limited to the island of Buru. Song starts with several soft “pip” or “chek” notes, then explodes in a series of variable whistles, e.g. “WEE-WEE-WEE-WEK-pewee-pewee-WEE-WEE.” Calls include dry “chek” notes and rasping “chirrrik” calls.
Maui Parrotbill
Pseudonestor xanthophrys
A very rare Hawaiian honeycreeper of high elevation wet forests on eastern Maui. The thick, parrotlike bill used to tear and crush stems in search of insects and larvae is diagnostic. Most often seen in the understory moving slowly and deliberately among branches. Song is series of paired notes: “chewy-chewy-chewy.” Two-note “chu-wee” call is louder and lower pitched than that of ‘amakihi.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.