Golden-bridle amazon
| Golden-bridle amazon | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden-bridle amazon, female |
||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Amazona xantholora | ||||||||||
| ( Gray , 1859) |
The golden- bridled amazon ( Amazona xantholora ) is a species of bird from the family of real parrots .
description
The Yucatan Amazon ( Amazona xantholora ) is next to the black-billed amazon ( A. agilis ) and the White-fronted Amazon ( A. albifrons ) is the smallest species in the neotropical genus of Amazon parrot ( Amazona ). A special feature of these three species compared to the other species of the genus is their pronounced sexual plumage dimorphism . The males of all three species show red color markings on the palm of the hand which the females lack.
The body length is 26 cm. The plumage is predominantly green, the cover feathers are lined with dark. The forehead and reins are yellow, the top of the head is white, the edge of the eyes is red and the ear mark is dark green. The outer wings are blue, the inner ones green; the arms are also blue, the outer hand covers are red. The tail feathers show an orange-red base.
The beak is yellow, the bare eye ring and the toes are grayish. The iris is orange-yellow.
In the female, the head plate is bluish-green and interspersed with a few white feathers, the reins are green-yellow and the red around the eyes is less extensive.
Young like females; iris greyish: Young males already have the red feathers on the outer palm . In the males of all three species, the feathers of the outer palm are red (in A. albifrons and A. agilis also the feathers of the thumb wings ), in the females these areas are green.
distribution
Yukatán Peninsula , Isla Cozumel (day visitors), extremely SE Mexico and N Belize and possibly Isla Roatán ( Isla de la Bahia ) / Honduras . The occurrence of the golden bridle amazon on Isla Roatán has not been proven beyond doubt. The parrot caught in 1947 - the only reliable evidence of its occurrence on the island - could well have been an escaped cage bird or one that was drifted by a hurricane .
habitat
The species lives in regions with arid bush and dry forest vegetation (Thornforest), dry pine and mixed forests and also in the light rainforest of the lowlands, generally at heights of up to 300 m. Groups temporarily fly into agricultural cultivation areas and also come to the edges of settlement areas.
Way of life
In many parts of their distribution area, especially in the arid regions, the golden-bridle amazons live nomadically. The parrots have their greatest activity phase in the morning and then again from late afternoon until evening. In small groups, often up to 50 specimens, they go in search of food . Food places, especially the seasonal ones, are often far away from the sleeping places, so that long distance flights are necessary.
Seeds and fruits (in different stages of ripeness) from trees, palms and bushes form the essential basis of nutrition. The uptake of the seeds of Acacia gaumeri is documented , there is also a report on the consumption of leaf and flower buds and flowers. In agricultural areas, they eat corn and citrus fruits. Isla Cozumel , about 15 km from the coast, is only used by parrots during the day to eat. In the late afternoon the golden-reins fly back to the mainland to spend the night there.
There are often large gatherings at overnight places. In the period before 1960, up to 1500 parrots gathered in such roosts, nowadays generally fewer. Although the habitat of the golden- headed amazon overlaps with that of its sister species, the white-headed amazon, they only meet in rare cases. In addition, information about mixed swarms is to be viewed critically, since it is very difficult to distinguish between the two species in the wild.
Calls, which are emitted mainly during the flight and which are similar to those of the white-fronted parrot , are loud and shrill.
Reproduction
Rotations and hollows created by woodpeckers in tree trunks and branches serve as nesting sites . Parrots ready for breeding were observed in March. In Belize , nests with young were found in April and May.
Keeping in human care
There are only a few golden-bridle amazons in the breeding facilities of American and European owners. The first breeding was achieved in 1980 by a Swiss owner.
The clutch consists of 4 to 5 eggs (size: 28.4–33.0 × 21.1–26.1 mm). The young hatch after an incubation period of 26 days. The nestling period lasts around 50 days.
Endangerment and Status
The golden-bridle amazon is a typical inhabitant of deciduous dry forests . It benefits from clearing the rainforests in its southern habitat. It is found relatively frequently in the east and in the center of the distribution area. In the south and west it occurs more sporadically. Your status in N- Belize is rated as rare to common, depending on the region and time of year.
The golden rein Amazon is listed in Appendix 2 of the Washington Convention on Species Protection .
swell
literature
- NJ Collar: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 4, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1997.
- JM Forshaw: Parrots of the World. Weldon & Associates, Australia 1989.
- JM Forshaw: Parrots of the World. An Identification Guide . Princeton Uni. Press, Princeton 2006.
- D. Hoppe: Amazons . Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1982.
- SNG Howell, S. Webb: The Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995.
- HL Jones: Birds of Belize . University of Texas Press, Austin 2004.
- T. Juniper, M. Parr: Parrots . Pica Press, Sussex 1998.
- RA Paynter jr: The ornithogeography of the Yucatán Peninsula. (= Peabody Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. 9). New Haven 1955.
- F. Robiller: Parrots. Vol. 3, Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag, Berlin and Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1990.
Web links
- Amazona xantholora inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2013.