The yellow-naped Amazon is a green bird with a characteristic bright yellow patch on its’ nape (hence the name). The tail is short with a band of reddish and dark green across the middle of the underside, and red feathers in the wings.
Category: Birds
Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
Taxonomy: (Amazona auropalliata)
Spanish Name: Lora
Conservation Status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Lifespan: Can live up to 60 years in captivity.
Distribution: The western coasts of Mexico down to Costa Rica, as well as eastern parts of Honduras and Nicaragua.
Habitat: Dry forests and mangrove habitat of the tropics.
Behavior: The western coasts of Mexico down to Costa Rica, as well as eastern parts of Honduras and Nicaragua.
Weight: 450 grams
Diet: Nuts, seeds, berries and seasonal fruits.
Reproduction: Yellow-naped Amazons nest in natural tree hollows and rotten palm tree trunk holes. Mated pairs will actively defend these sites against invading pairs. Nesting occurs in the dry season and the female incubates the eggs while both parents feed the nestlings. Parents remain with their offspring in the general vicinity of the nest for several weeks post-fledging and eventually lead their fledglings to their regular communal night roosts. Here, fledglings gradually become increasingly independent and join juvenile flocks that radiate out each day on their own to forage, which will lead to eventual dispersal and further mating pairs upon adulthood.
Threats: They are hugely impacted by the illegal pet trade with 100% of their nests being raided to take the juveniles in some areas of their range. Habitat degradation also limits the areas they are found in, which is driven by agricultural development.
At Alturas: Julieta is a staff and volunteer favorite. She can cry and laugh like a baby and loves to sing with our volunteers each morning. She also sings from the top of her perch when it rains. Although she has full flight feathers, she does not fly. This is likely due to muscle atrophy as a result of being a pet in a small cage for many years. Instead, she moves about her open air enclosure with her feet and beak to interact with our visitors. We also have two other yellow-naped Amazon parrots in our large aviary with other similarly sized Amazon parrots. We have tried to introduce Julieta to other parrots in the past, but she doesn’t get along with any of them, and much prefers to live by herself and talk to humans.
