Yellow-headed Parrot

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yellow-headed Parrot
Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix belizensis)

Yellow-headed Parrot ( Amazona oratrix belizensis )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Tribe : New World Parrots (Arini)
Genre : Amazon Parrots ( Amazona )
Type : Yellow-headed Parrot
Scientific name
Amazona oratrix
Ridgway , 1887
Young yellow-headed amazon

The yellow-headed amazon ( Amazona oratrix ) belongs to the family of real parrots (Psittacidae). It is an endangered species of parrot. Their ability to mimic human speech made them a sought-after pet.

features

The short-tailed yellow-headed amazon is 35–38 cm tall, its plumage is mainly green and the head that gives it its name is yellow. The amount of yellow varies depending on the species. The wing bow is largely red with irregular yellow fletching. The beak and wax skin are light horn-colored. Females and males cannot be distinguished on the basis of optical characteristics. The iris is bright orange. Not yet fully grown birds can be recognized by their dark brown irises. In general, the yellow areas on the head of young birds are less pronounced than those of adults.

Systematics and distribution

The yellow-headed amazon was previously classified as a subspecies of the yellow-headed amazon ( A. ochrocephala ). Today it is viewed as a distinct species.

There are four subspecies in the Oratrix group:

habitat

The parrots inhabit savannahs , high deciduous forests and also more humid river areas, occasionally at heights up to 500 m (with a report of up to 1377 m at Totula, Veracruz, Mexico [Monterrubio-Rico 2013]). The birds prefer semi-arid regions in the northern Atlantic lowlands, but more humid savannas further south. In Belize, it inhabits pine savannahs and adjacent evergreen forest areas. In Guatemala, the Amazons occur in coastal regions, palm savannas and mangroves (Lousada and Howell 1996, Eisermann 2003). Food deprivation and fire cause occasional migration. They nest in tree hollows and in tree stumps.

behavior

The yellow-headed amazons feed on seeds , nuts, fruits, berries, flowers and buds. Yellow-headed amazons usually live in pairs during the breeding season. Outside the breeding season also in small family groups or in small schools. Their breeding season depends on the distribution area. The yellow-headed amazons breed in Belize from March to May. A clutch can contain up to 4 eggs. The incubation period is about 26 days. Fledglings fledge after about 9 weeks.

Danger

The population was estimated at 7,000 individuals in 1994, of which 4,700 were adults. He is affected by a sharp decline. The causes include the catch for the international bird trade and the increasing loss of habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN ) classifies the species as Endangered (EN).

Yellow-headed Parrot ( A. oratrix ) in Stuttgart
Yellow-headed amazons ( A. oratrix ) in Stuttgart

Neozoon

There is a wild population of yellow-headed amazons in Stuttgart . The neozoon population was created by a yellow-headed amazon that escaped in 1984 and one that was released in 1985. In 1986 the first brood with 3 young birds took place as a result. At the end of the 90s, 2 blue-fronted amazons ( Amazona aestiva ) were added to the population. The two species hybridized with each other. The hybrids between the two species are fertile . In 2011, employees of the Stuttgart Natural History Museum counted 5–8 breeding pairs or 45 specimens around the palace gardens in Stuttgart . By the year 2018/2019 the swarm had grown to a size of 65 specimens.

In Stuttgart mainly fruits and seeds are eaten, but also other parts of the plant. Also bark and rotten wood is eaten. So far 63 plant species have been found in the diet in Stuttgart. The birds also eat parts of poisonous species such as yew and ivy . The food is sought in the entire urban area of ​​Stuttgart. Parks, cemeteries and private gardens with old trees are mainly visited. The birds almost never land on the ground. They find their drinking water in rain gutters and forks of branches. In winter , snow is also absorbed by roofs. In the evening, all Amazons look for a shared sleeping place in the center of Stuttgart- Bad Cannstatt . In the breeding season, however, they are almost only in the vicinity of their breeding caves in the evening and at night. These breeding caves are almost exclusively in plane trees . The plane tree leaf buds also serve as food in winter. The breeding takes place in the old plane trees of the rose stone garden and in the palace garden. Usually one or two, rarely three, young birds fledge. Deaths from traffic accidents have been recorded. The birds survive the winter, but many of the birds have partially frozen toes.

Yellow-headed amazons in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt

Individual ornithologists in Germany suspect that there is competition in caves with jackdaws , stock pigeons and starlings, and food competition with native bird species. It is even demanded for Germany to remove (catch) this non-European species, while other ornithologists do not assume competition for caves and food.

A study showed that the mortality rate, especially young parrots, is relatively high in Stuttgart. Young yellow-headed amazon often collided with cars or hit window panes. The slight increase in population and the lack of a tendency to spread are attributed to these accident losses. A lack of sufficiently large nesting holes could also hinder the spread.

Further populations of the yellow-headed amazon outside their natural habitats can be found in California and Puerto Rico .

literature

  • Johanne Martens, Dieter Hoppe, Friederike Woog: Diet and feeding behavior of naturalized Amazon Parrots in a European city . In: Ardea . tape 101 , no. 1 , 2013, p. 71-76 , doi : 10.5253 / 078.101.0111 .
  • Tiberio Cesar Monterrubio-Rico, Katherine Renton, Juan Manuel Ortega-Rodríguez, Alejandro Pérez-Arteaga: The Endangered yellow-headed parrot Amazona oratrix along the Pacific coast of Mexico . In: Oryx . tape 44 , no. 4 , 2010, p. 602-609 , doi : 10.1017 / S0030605310000980 .
  • Robert Ridgway: A manual of North American birds . JB Lippincott company, Philadelphia 1887 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Burt Leavelle Monroe, Thomas Raymond Howell: Geographic variation in Middle American parrots of the Amazona ochrocephala complex . In: Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology of the Louisiana State University . No. 34 , 1966, pp. 1–18 ( sites01.lsu.edu [PDF; 967 kB ]).
  • Sebastian A. Lousada, Steven NG Howell: Distribution, variation, and conservation of Yellow-headed Parrots in northern Central America . In: Cotinga . tape 5 , no. 3 , 1996, p. 46–53 ( neotropicalbirdclub.org [PDF; 1,3 MB ]).
  • Sebastian A. Lousada, Steven NG Howell: Amazona oratrix hondurensis: a new subspecies of parrot from the Sula Valley of northern Honduras . In: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . tape 117 , no. 3 , 1997, p. 205-209 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Edward William Nelson: Descriptions of Thirty New North American Birds, in the Biological Survey Collection . In: The Auk . tape 17 , no. 3 , 1900, p. 253–270 (English, sora.unm.edu [PDF; 742 kB ]).

Web links

Commons : Yellow-headed Parrot ( Amazona oratrix )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ Handbook of the birds of the world - Yellow-headed Amazon
  2. ^ Robert Ridgway, p. 587.
  3. ↑ Burt Leavelle Monroe et al. a., p. 18.
  4. ↑ Sebastian A. Lousada et al. a., pp. 205-206.
  5. ^ Edward William Nelson, p. 256.
  6. ^ IOC World Bird List Parrots, cockatoos
  7. ↑ BirdLife international
  8. ↑ TheCornellLab of Ornithology - Neotropical Birds
  9. ↑ IUCN RED LIST
  10. ↑ Parrots in an urban jungle (Martens / Woog 2017)
  11. ↑ Stuttgart's wild parrots
  12. ↑ Aikiko Lachenmann: Stuttgart's Birds of Paradise. A population of yellow-headed amazons has grown in the German city . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 245 , October 20, 2012, p. 24 .
  13. ^ Dieter Hoppe , Johanne Martens: rarity in Europe: Swabian parrots. Der Falke 60, 2013 pp. 456–457.
  14. ^ Animal photos in the Stuttgart palace garden. In: Photos by Tomoko Arai. Retrieved December 25, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Leonie Schüler: Filder / Bad Cannstatt: How a parrot from exile found its way back to its loved one. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart Germany. April 13, 2018, accessed December 25, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Klemens Steiof: Action requirements in dealing with non-native and invasive bird species in Germany. Reports on bird protection 47/48, 2011, pp. 93–118.
  17. ↑ Johanne M. Martens, Friederike Woog 2017: Nest cavity characteristics, reproductive output and population trend of naturalized Amazon parrots in Germany Journal of Ornithology volume 158: 823-832
  18. ^ California Parrot Project
  19. ^ Biodiversity Atlas LA