Red-tailed Amazon

Identification

Red-tailed amazons weigh around 425 g (15.0 oz) and are approximately 35 cm (14 in) long. As expected from its common name, it has a broad red band on its tail, but as it largely is limited to the inner webs of the feathers, it is mainly visible from below or when the tail is spread open. Additionally, the tail has a broad yellow tip, and the outer rectrices are dark purplish-blue at the base. The remaining plumage is green, while the throat, cheeks and auriculars are purple-blue, the forecrown is red, and the rectrices are broadly tipped dark blue. It has a yellowish bill with a blackish tip to the upper mandible, a pale gray eye ring, and orange irises. Juveniles have a duller plumage and brown irises.

Taxonomy

In 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the red-tailed amazon in the fourth volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Brasilian green parrot". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a live bird that was displayed at the shop of a bird-cage maker in London. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the red-tailed amazon with the other parrots in the genus Psittacus. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Psittacus brasiliensis and cited Edwards' work. The red-tailed amazon is now one of around 30 parrots placed in the genus Amazona that was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1830.

Scientific name

Amazona brasiliensis

Authority

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Order

Psittaciformes

Family

Psittacidae

Genus

Amazona

Range and habitat

The red-tailed amazon is associated with the Atlantic Forest system, and lives in forests, woodlands and mangroves near the coast. This species is almost entirely restricted to lowlands, typically occurring at altitudes below 200 meters (660 feet) above sea-level, though sometimes reaching altitudes up to 700 m (2,300 ft).

Migration

Resident species

Behavior

Red-tailed amazons are usually found in pairs or flocks, which occasionally may number several hundred individuals in the non-breeding season. It primarily roosts and breeds on coastal islands, but most of the foraging takes place on the nearby mainland, where the birds forage mainly for fruits, but their diet also includes seeds, flowers, nectar, and rarely, insects.<p>The red-tailed amazon breeds in mangrove and coastal forests on islands. The breeding season lasts from September to February, when the parrots lay three or four eggs in a natural tree-cavities. The incubation period is 27 to 28 days, and the fledging period an additional 50 to 55 days.

Conservation

A number of steps are being taken to ensure the parrots' safety. One program aimed at educating locals on the importance of the birds is already underway. Established in 1997, the Environmental Education Program for the Conservation of the Red-tailed Amazon focuses on reducing threats to the bird through educational programs.<p>Working specifically with students, women and artists, the Environmental Education Program hosts several workshops and field trips to promote awareness about the endangered red-tailed amazon. The program hopes these workshops and field trips will illustrate the importance of conservation and consequently reduce logging and animal trafficking.<p>An additional step to ensure the birds’ safety was the establishment of ex-situ facilities, specifically zoos. Research shows that red-tailed amazons breed moderately well in captivity. There are already successful captive-breeding programs in the European Union and Brazil. Breeding programs at Chester Zoo and the UK Rode Tropical Bird Garden have both successfully bred the red-tailed amazon.<p>Possibly one of the most significant steps taken to save the parrots was the establishment of Superagui National Park in 1989. Although the park wasn't established solely with the birds’ safety in mind, the park does provide an excellent safe haven for the red-tailed amazon and thousands of plant and animal species alike. The over 34,254 hectares of lush forest, which is part of the largest continuous stretch of intact Atlantic rainforest, is one of the most important protected areas within this Brazil.<p>Measures to stop the illegal trafficking of the parrots into the United States have also been taken. The United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) and The United States Fish and Wildlife Service act as the red-tailed amazon's greatest protection against illegal transportation to the US. Because the bird is listed as endangered under this act, if imported illegally into the U.S. the bird will be confiscated and its carrier will be punished. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to prevent illegal importation of animals by setting up search sites in airports. Luggage is search manually and many times trained dogs are brought in to search the bags for any trace of animals.<p>The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) also affords the species protection from international trade by listing it under Appendix I, the strictest degree of protection.<p>The ESA and CITES are the red-tailed amazons primary governmental protection. They control the trade of individuals to an extent; however, often the laws are not adequately enforced.

Population trend

rising