Amazon parrots

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Amazon parrots
Cuban Parrot

Cuban Parrot

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Tribe : New World Parrots (Arini)
Genre : Amazon parrots
Scientific name
Amazona
Lesson , 1830

The Amazon parrots ( Amazona ) are with 31 recent species the largest genus of the family of the real parrots (Psittacidae) and the order of the parrots (Psittaciformes). The distribution area of ​​the Amazon parrots extends from the south of Mexico and the Caribbean islands to Uruguay and the north of Argentina . Its main distribution area is the tropical zones of South and Central America. In addition to rainforests, they inhabit such diverse habitats as savanna and semi-desert areas, arid dry forests and wooded marshland within this large distribution area.

No fewer than sixteen species belonging to this genus are endangered, critically endangered or even threatened with extinction. These are mainly the endemic species found on the Caribbean islands. Large-scale habitat destruction and trapping for trade have severely reduced the populations of some species.

Appearance

Amazon parrots are medium to large sized parrots. The smallest species is the red-mirrored amazon , which when fully grown reaches a body length of 25 centimeters. The Imperial Amazon applies with a body length of 45 centimeters as the largest species of this genus. One of the noticeable features is the strong, curved beak , which is connected to the skull in a joint-like manner and is therefore characteristic of all parrots. In Amazon parrots, the bill is horn-colored, dark gray to black and in one species, the pigeon-necked parrot , even red. At the base of the beak there is a slightly protruding skin, the so-called wax skin. The tongue, which is provided with tactile bodies, is muscular, the feet are used as a grasping organ. The two middle toes point forward; the first and fourth, on the other hand, towards the rear - this is also characteristic of all parrots. In the case of Amazons, the skull capsule is also complete, which indicates that they are closely related to the genus of the red-tipped parrots. Another characteristic typical of the genus is the palate of the Amazons with so-called filing notches. These filing notches sharpen the cutting edge of the lower mandible and are used to hold and chop the food.

Yellow-headed Parrot

Characteristic for the appearance of the Amazons are the broadly rounded tail and the broad, likewise rounded wings. Their plumage is predominantly green in color, with red, yellow or blue color markings on the head, on the wings or on the tail feathers. Only three color morphs of the king amazon differ more strongly from this typical appearance of the amazons. With these, the basic color of the plumage is golden, red or olive brown. The eyes of the Amazon parrots sit on the side of the head and can work independently of each other. All species have a non-feathered eye ring. It is usually white, with some species also gray, blue or yellow in color. Only two species show a sexual dimorphism in their plumage : In the case of the red-mirrored amazon , the hand cover of the male is red and partly green in the female. In the yellow-shouldered amazon , the entire plumage of the female is a little more dull and the abdominal plumage a little less blue than in the male.

The flight of the Amazon parrots is characterized by soft wing beats, the turning point of which is below the body. They also cover short distances in gliding flight, whereby the wings are slightly bent downwards. The flight is often accompanied by loud shouts.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the Amazon parrots extends from the south of Mexico and the Caribbean islands to Uruguay and the north of Argentina . Their distribution area has a length of around 7500 kilometers and extends mainly to the tropical regions of South and Central America . With equatorial South America, it includes one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.

Cuban Amazon
Head of the green-cheeked amazon
White-fronted Parrot

Within their large distribution area, the individual Amazon parrots use very different habitats. These range from savannah and semi-desert areas to arid dry forests and wooded swamps. Habitat specialists and generalists can be found within the Amazon parrots genus. The yellow-shouldered amazon is one of the habitat specialists and lives in the coastal lowlands of Venezuela in a region that is characterized by dense vegetation of cacti, small trees and bushes. The red-tailed amazon occurs only in coastal forests and wetlands as well as mangroves in southeastern Brazil. The Imperial Parrot , which only occurs in Dominica , can only be found in the local mountain forests from an altitude of 600  m . Other species such as the Miller's Parrot or the Dufresnes Parrot are so adaptable in their way of life that they can use very different habitats. In addition to rainforests and cloud forests in Venezuela, the Dufresnes parrot also lives in savannah areas, while in Guiana and French Guiana it mainly occurs in gallery forests. The distribution areas of the individual Amazon parrots often overlap, so that several Amazon species regularly share the same habitat. This distinguishes them, among other things, from the African long-winged parrots , with which they are not closely related, but with which they have a number of similar behavioral characteristics and occupy similar ecological niches. The Amazon parrots, which can occasionally even be observed in flocks together, include white-fronted and golden- headed amazons ; Blue-fronted and Venezuela Amazons as well as Red Mirror and Jamaica Amazons .

Because of their breeding and eating habits, Amazons are dependent on a sufficiently dense tree population. Individual species such as the yellow-cheeked amazon can also be found in more intensively used agricultural regions, provided that they have sufficient trees. They can develop into agricultural pests in the process. The blue-fronted parrot, for example, causes great damage to orange plantations in eastern Argentina. Sometimes up to 5,000 Amazon parrots invade such plantations at the same time. The blue-capped amazons living in western Mexico , which live in flocks of two to three hundred individuals outside of the breeding season, are occasionally hunted by humans because they haunt grain fields and banana plantations. Yellow-cheeked amazons even cause damage to coffee plantations .

Nine species of Amazons are restricted in their distribution to individual Caribbean islands. The Imperial Parrot and the Blue-Headed Parrot occur only on Dominica , the King Parrot only on St. Vincent and the Jamaican Amazon on Jamaica. The smallest amazon species, the red-mirrored amazon, occurs in Jamaica only in moist mountain forests at altitudes between 500 and 800  m ; the very rare Puerto Rican Amazon can only be found on Puerto Rico and a few minor islands. The blue-crowned amazon originally only lived on Hispaniola and some neighboring islands. However, it has now also been introduced to Puerto Rico . The distribution area of ​​the blue masked amazon is limited to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. It can only be found there in a single forest refuge, the extent of which is less than 40 square kilometers.

Duration

Amazon parrots are one of the genera within the parrots where most species are threatened with extinction. Especially threatened with extinction are those species whose range is limited to individual islands. If parts of their area of ​​distribution are destroyed, they lack the retreat area in which stocks can regenerate or maintain. But the Amazon species that are widespread on the South American continent are also experiencing massive population declines. Here, too, the main cause of the decline is the massive destruction of habitats. Amazon parrots need large areas of undestroyed woodland. In increasingly fragmented forests, they lack sufficient food sources and, above all, breeding opportunities.

Blue-capped amazon

There is also a catch for commercial sale. Between 1984 and 1987, for example, 25,000 blue-fronted amazons were imported into the Federal Republic of Germany . Even placing the parrots under protection is not always helpful. The rare blue-masked parrot , which only occurs on St. Lucia, for example, was regularly caught by the local population in the 1980s and smuggled abroad, where immense prices could be obtained for the rare birds.

The Amazon parrots are also hunted intensively. Individual Amazon parrots serve the indigenous peoples of their natural range as a source of food. The feathers of birds are also used for headdresses and the like. Hunting pressure arises above all where Amazon parrots plunder fields and plantations as agricultural pests.

The population of the endemic Amazon species has now declined so much that natural disasters can have devastating effects on the survival of the species. As a rule, a hurricane of a strength occurs in their area of ​​distribution every 15 years that drastically damages their habitat. For example, on September 18, 1989, Hurricane Hugo swept the northeast coast of Puerto Rico and wreaked havoc. For the very rare Puerto Rico Amazon, the population figures after the storm were estimated at only 23 free-living individuals. At the beginning of the 3rd millennium, the population had not yet reached the number before the storm. In 2006 the population was estimated at 44 individuals. Hurricane David in 1979 had a similarly drastic impact on the population of the Imperial Parrot , which only occurs on Dominica.

Neozoon

Some Amazon pairs live between around 1000 ring-necked parakeets and several hundred Alexander parakeets in the parks of Wiesbaden .

In the Stuttgart district of Bad Cannstatt , a population of around 50 yellow-headed amazons has developed as a neozoon , which is the only free-living population outside of America, similar to the ringed parakeet population in Mannheim .

Behavior

Intensive studies of the behavior of the blue-fronted amazon are not available for all species. More detailed knowledge about social behavior and courtship was also obtained primarily from Amazon parrots kept in large aviaries. The ornithologist Werner Lantermann , for example, carried out intensive observations on blue-fronted amazons over several years and was able to evaluate the behavior of 22 adult Amazons of this species. More detailed field observations are above all about the Puerto Rico Amazon, intensive efforts are being made in Puerto Rico to preserve them. In contrast, relatively little is known about a number of other species: For example, all that is known about the free-range brood of the red-tailed amazon is that it breeds in the tree hollows of palm trees; in the case of the Kawall Amazon , the exact course of the distribution area is unknown. From previous studies on Amazon parrots, however, we know that these parrots generally have very similar behavior. From the fact that adult birds of most Amazon species can be observed in pairs all year round, it has been concluded that they form long-term pair bonds.

Yellow- headed amazons together with red bugaras and brown-headed parakeets at a leak in Ecuador
Green-cheeked Amazon

Amazon parrots are very social live animals. Adult birds are generally observed in pairs, so it can be assumed that they will form long-term pair bonds. They also join together in somewhat loosely structured small groups or swarms. Especially for the Amazon species that are widespread on the South American continent and the Greater Antilles, they sometimes occur in very large schools. From the splendor Amazone is reported that up to 30,000 Amazons homed to the traditional gathering places before the birds sought out their sleeping trees in each group. Since then, however, due to habitat destruction, the population has decreased too much to form even the largest swarms. The swarms are loose associations made up of individual family groups. Couples are usually accompanied by one, rarely up to three young birds. From aviary husbandry we know that parent birds tolerate their offspring in their immediate vicinity for several months and only drive them out of their immediate vicinity with the onset of the next breeding period with an increasingly aggressive behavior. It is typical for Amazon parrots that live in schools that they fly to the feeding grounds in large groups and that their nesting holes are often very close to one another. The reason for the association in such flocks could be the reduced risk of being attacked by a bird of prey in such associations. Two pieces of evidence are cited for this thesis: The Amazon species, blue-headed, blue-masked, king and imperial amazons, which are native to the Lesser Antilles, show a significantly reduced group behavior. The same applies to a subspecies of the Cuban Amazon living on the island of Cayman Brac , while the group behavior of the subspecies of this Amazon species occurring on the mainland is much more pronounced. There are no larger birds of prey on either the Lesser Antilles or Cayman Brac.

Nomadic swarms can be observed above all among the Amazon parrots, which colonize open bushland or savannah areas. In contrast to the Amazon parrots that live in the tropical rainforest, they have to undertake larger migrations because sufficient food is only available for them after prolonged rainfall.

The peak activity of the Amazon parrots is in the early morning from the beginning of dusk to around 10 a.m. and in the late afternoon from around 4 p.m. to dusk. During these times they undertake their extended flights to find food or to return to their sleeping places in the evening. Reputation is also most pronounced in these times.

food

Chilean araucaria - the seeds of this tree play a major role in the nutrition of two Amazon species

Amazon parrots are basically food generalists, consuming a wide range of seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, buds and flowers. Thanks to their strong beak, Amazon parrots are able to break open hard-shelled fruits. The Puerto Rico Amazon is one of the typical food generalists for which more than 50 different forage plants have been identified.

A few Amazon species show a preference for certain forage crops. These include the king amazon , which is highly dependent on the seeds of the araucarias for its nutrition , as well as the tucuman amazon , whose diet mainly consists of the seeds of alders and araucarias .

Reproduction

Young bird of the yellow-cheeked amazon

At the southern end of the Amazon parrot distribution area, in Paraguay and Argentina, the breeding season begins in October and November. In a northerly direction, the beginning of the breeding season is shifting forward, so that Amazon parrots in northern South America only breed in February and in northern Central America in May.

Enemies

The predators of the Amazon parrots include u. a. Snakes, lizards and predatory mammals that endanger eggs and young birds.

Mockingbird species , among others, appear as competitors for nesting sites . In the endangered blue-headed amazon as well as in the Puerto Rican amazon, the pearl-eye mocking thrush is a well-defended and energetic nesting site competitor, which has a significant influence on the reproductive success of these two species. As part of the conservation measures in favor of the Puerto Rican Amazon, attempts have been made to offer artificial breeding caves tailored to the requirements of pearl-eye mocking thrushes in addition to nesting aids for the Puerto Rican Amazon. The territorial mockingbirds accept the brood aids tailored to them and at the same time keep other pearl-eye mockingbirds away from the nests of the Puerto Rican amazon.

However, nesting site competitors for the breeding caves suitable for Amazons are also bees that were introduced into South America.

Man and Amazons

Ornamental bird Amazon

Amazons are one of the species of parrot that is relatively often kept in human care. The indigenous peoples of the distribution area traditionally keep parrots as pets, which are usually brought up young animals that are taken from their nests.

Eating double yellow-headed amazon

From the family of real parrots in North America and Europe, after the gray parrot, it is above all the blue-fronted parrot that is kept particularly frequently. Other species commonly kept in captivity are the White-fronted Amazon , the Red-Crowned Amazon , the lilac-crowned amazon , the red-lored amazon , the yellow-crowned amazon , the Venezuelan Amazon and Müller-Amazone .

Amazons as housebirds

Like all parrots, the Amazons are demanding birds in their keeping. Amazons, which are taken into human care as young birds, acquire a certain degree of tameness if the time is spent and, especially when kept individually, they join humans in some form. In contrast to other large parrots, Amazon parrots usually do not develop feather plucking or feather biting in this unspecific attitude. With the onset of sexual maturity - usually between the ages of three and five - there are usually significant changes in behavior. This includes a significantly stronger aggression towards the long-time carer and an increased, very penetrating screaming or shouting. The cage is then often defended against familiar people and with their powerful beaks the birds are able to bite painfully. For this reason, Amazon experts John and Pat Stoodley generally advise against leaving toddlers unattended with an Amazon parrot flying freely in a room. From her point of view, keeping a housebird also requires training that is remotely based on the training of a larger domestic dog. In order to make living together in an apartment and visits to the vet more problematic, it is necessary from their point of view that the bird can be carried around on command on a carrying stick or on the arm of the carer, return to its cage on command or be placed on a seat and remains there. Such training is time-consuming and requires regular, preferably daily training.

During free flights in the apartment, nesting sites are sought in dark corners and behind shelves. There may also be sexually motivated substitute acts such as copulation attempts on the caregiver's arm or foot. Occasionally, food is also choked out towards people or another partner substitute. This is part of normal courtship behavior in the wild.

Housing requirements

Only keeping Amazon parrots in pairs or groups in spacious aviaries in which the birds can fly is considered species-appropriate in Austria. If the birds are offered nesting opportunities, this form of species-appropriate housing can also contribute to the conservation of the population in captivity.

Pairing and gender determination

Pair formation can cause difficulties. In the wild, pairs can be found within larger flocks. However, there is no sexual dimorphism in Amazon parrots , so that it is not possible to determine the sex based on their external appearance. Since most Amazons do not show any gender-specific behavioral spectrum, it is not possible to determine unequivocally whether the observed animal is a female or a male. In the case of two female blue-fronted amazons kept in pairs, for example, the more dominant animal will show that impressive behavior that is usually only shown by the male in the wild. Sex determination by means of a blood or feather test (analysis of the chromosome set, karyotype ) makes sense in any case. Before these two non-invasive methods became widespread, the birds were endoscoped for sex determination : a flexible endoscope was inserted through minimally invasive surgical opening of the abdominal cavity , and the gonads were found and photographed. Here were visually testicles of ovaries distinguished. Since this previously common technique was an invasive procedure, it is now only used when a bird is to be endoscoped for other reasons (such as diseases of the airways).

Protective measures and conservation breeding

The earliest efforts to conserve the Amazon Parrots concerned the Puerto Rican Amazon. Since the extinction of Carolina parakeet this species is the only one that still exists on the territory of the United States.

Conservation breeding programs have existed or existed for a number of other Amazon species. The Karlsruhe Zoo initiated a conservation breeding project for the Tucumán Amazon in 1991 , in which private owners were also involved. Eleven young birds were raised successfully in the first year. At the height of the project, seventy keepers with around 250 Tucumán Amazons took part. The project was discontinued when the field populations turned out to be less threatened than originally anticipated and data collection from the private owners proved difficult.

Systematics

It is disputed to what extent the yellow-bellied amazon belongs to the Amazon parrots. Chromosomal studies suggest that it is very different from the other Amazon species and has many similarities with the red-tipped parrots. Their behavior also indicates that they belong to a different species. Their wing beats are faster and the physical development of the young is faster than that of other amazon species. The evolutionary development of the Amazon genus and other New World parrots is therefore described on the basis of chromosome studies as follows:

   
  NN  

 Amazon parrots


  NN  

 Yellow-bellied Amazon


   

 Red-tipped parrots




   

 Macaws , macaws , etc.



species

In addition to the 31 recent species, two other species have been described with the Martinique and the Guadeloupe zone , both of which have been considered extinct since the beginning of the 18th century. Its distribution area is said to have been the island of Martinique and Guadeloupe , both of which belong to the Lesser Antilles. Nothing is known about the way of life or a detailed appearance of these two species; there is also a lack of museum bellows . It cannot therefore be ruled out that these species were Amazon species that are still found on islands in the Lesser Antilles.

The following are the 31 recent species, the two species considered to be extinct, as well as some subspecies with established German names. A division into species groups based on similarities in appearance is still common. The findings of the chromosome analyzes, which have been carried out since the 1980s, already show different classifications in some cases. Since only 19 amazon species and 41 subspecies have been investigated so far, this investigation cannot be regarded as complete:

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 11
  2. ↑ Lantermann (1987), p. 18
  3. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 20
  4. ↑ a b Susanne Lantermann, Werner Lantermann, p. 95
  5. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 31
  6. ↑ a b Lantermann (2007), p. 152
  7. ↑ Stoodley, 1990, genus Amazona, p 41
  8. ↑ Lantermann (2007), pp. 145f
  9. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 119
  10. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 145
  11. ↑ Excursions to Mainz: Wiesbaden parrots are getting too tight in the parks. Wiesbadener Kurier, February 10, 2011 ( Memento from February 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ Free Bird - The Wild Parrots of Cannstatt . Stuttgarter Zeitung, April 3, 2009
  13. ↑ With the yellow-headed amazons on you and you . Stuttgarter Nachrichten, November 26, 2014
  14. ↑ Lantermann (1987)
  15. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 32
  16. ↑ Lantermann, 1990, p. 96
  17. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 32f
  18. ↑ Stoodley, 1990, genus Amazona, page 68
  19. ↑ a b Lantermann (2007), p. 42
  20. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 117
  21. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 34
  22. ↑ Stoodley, 1990, genus Amazona, p 69
  23. ↑
    Wikiversity: Legal minimum requirements (Austria) for keeping amazons  - course materials
  24. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 115.
  25. ↑ Lantermann (2007), p. 143
  26. ↑ after Lantermann (2007), p. 18
  27. ↑ Silva et al. A new parrot taxon from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico - its position within genus Amazona based on morphology and molecular phylogeny. PeerJ, 2017 DOI: 10.7717 / peerj.3475

literature

Web links

Commons : Amazona  - collection of images, videos and audio files