Cuban Amazon
| Cuban Amazon | ||||||||||||
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Cuban Amazon ( Amazona leucocephala ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Amazona leucocephala | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Cuban Amazon ( Amazona leucocephala ) is a species of parrot from the genus of the Amazon parrots . It is one of the endemic New World parrots whose range is limited to the island of Cuba and several small neighboring islands. Like many other Amazons, the population of the Cuban Amazon is threatened.
Appearance
Like all Amazon parrots, the Cuban Amazon also has a predominantly green body plumage. However, this is lined with black on the neck and underside of the body. The forehead and eye area are feathery. The cheeks, chin and throat, on the other hand, are colored pink. The beak and legs are flesh-colored. The body length is between 30 and 32 centimeters.
Subspecies and range
The number of subspecies varies depending on the author. The Amazon specialists John and Pat Stoodley name five subspecies, but do not rule out that there may only be three subspecies, as individual subspecies only differ in their body size. The nominate form A. l described by Carl von Linné . leucocephala (literally: the "white-headed Amazon") occurs in central and eastern Cuba. Al palmarum , on the other hand, is restricted to western Cuba and the island of Pinos. The subspecies A. l lives on Grand Cayman . caymanensis . The subspecies A. l. hesterna occurs on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. A. l. bahamensis lives on the Inagua Islands and Abacao, which belong to the Bahamas .
voice
Cuban Amazons have a loud voice. The calls are described as metallic. The more quietly uttered contact sounds resemble a soft “cre” and “ak”.
Habitat and food spectrum
Cuban Amazons occur in all forest types except mangrove forests. It can also occur in agricultural habitats that contain large numbers of fruit and seed producing trees. In orange plantations, they can sometimes even cause severe damage. On Grand Cayman, it can also be found in arid lowland forests and wetlands. As with almost all Amazons, their food spectrum includes seeds, nuts, berries, leaf buds and flowers.
Reproduction
Cuban Amazons use breeding caves that are either in trees or in limestone cliffs. Hollow trees used as nesting sites are usually six meters above the ground. Limestone caves, like the subspecies A. l. bahamensis , lie between 90 and 300 centimeters underground. The clutch size is around two to three eggs. They are only incubated by the female. The young birds hatch after about 28 days.
literature
- Tony Silva: A Monograph of Endangered Parrots. Mattacchione and Co, Pickering, 1989, ISBN 0-9692640-4-6
- Werner Lantermann: Parrots: Critically Endangered. Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg, 1990, ISBN 3-89136-386-9
- John Stoodley, Pat Stoodley: Genus Amazona. Bezels Publications, Lovedean 1990, ISBN 0-947756-02-7
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Amazona leucocephala in the Internet Bird Collection
- Amazona leucocephala onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2013.