Animals /
Birds Living

Puerto Rican Amazon

Amazona vittata

The Puerto Rican amazon (Amazona vittata), also known as the Puerto Rican parrot (Spanish: cotorra puertorriqueña) or iguaca (Taíno), is the only extant parrot endemic to the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico. Measuring 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in), the bird is a predominantly green parrot with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes.

Overview

The Puerto Rican amazon (Amazona vittata), also known as the Puerto Rican parrot (Spanish: cotorra puertorriqueña) or iguaca (Taíno), is the only extant parrot endemic to the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico. Measuring 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in), the bird is a predominantly green parrot with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes. Belonging to the Neotropical genus Amazona, its closest relatives are believed to be the Cuban amazon (Amazona leucocephala) and the Hispaniolan amazon (Amazona ventralis).
The Puerto Rican amazon reaches sexual maturity at between three and four years of age. It reproduces once a year and is a cavity nester. Once the female lays eggs she will remain in the nest and continuously incubate them until hatching. The chicks are fed by both parents and will fledge 60 to 65 days after hatching. This parrot's diet is varied and consists of flowers, fruits, leaves, bark and nectar obtained from the forest canopy.
The species is the only remaining native parrot to Puerto Rico and has been listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union since 1994. Once widespread and abundant, the population declined drastically in the 19th and early 20th centuries...

Video

Captive bred parrots just released. Puerto Rican Parrots at the Maricao Commonwealth Forest. Photos by Jan Paul Zegarra, Biologist, USFWS. November 30, 2016Credit: USFWS/Southeast · Public domainSource ↗

Sounds

Animal soundThe original uploader was Cryptic C62 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0

References

  1. GBIF Auto Sync GBIF
  2. Wikipedia — Puerto Rican amazon Wikipedia

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