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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Parrots (Order Psittaciformes)

-New World and African Parrots (Family Psittacidae)

-Amazon Parrots (Genus Amazona)

-Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix)


The Amazona oratrix, also known as the Yellow-headed Parrot, is a species of parrot native to Central and South America. Its natural habitat is tropical forests, and its range extends from Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. The diet of the Yellow-headed Parrot consists primarily of fruits, nuts, and seeds, and it is known to form large flocks outside of the breeding season. It is a highly social species, and can often be seen in pairs or small groups. Its features a bright yellow head and green body.

Yellow-headed Amazon

Amazona oratrix

Diet

  • Primarily fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, figs, leaf buds, blossoms, and cultivated crops such as corn and other grains.

  • Also feeds on flowers and occasionally insects and their larvae.

  • Usually forages in pairs or small flocks high in the forest canopy and agricultural areas.

Range

  • Native to eastern and western Mexico, with populations along the Gulf Coast (Tamaulipas to Veracruz), the Pacific coast (Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca), and parts of Belize, with a small population in northwestern Honduras.

  • Occurs in the Zihuatanejo region, where it inhabits tropical dry forests, gallery forests, mangroves, woodland edges, and adjacent agricultural areas.

  • A year-round resident that makes local seasonal movements in search of food.

Male / Female

  • Male: Bright yellow head and neck, green body, red patch on the wing, and yellow thighs; slightly larger on average with a broader head.

  • Female: Nearly identical in appearance to the male, although often slightly smaller.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished by plumage in the field. Accurate sex determination usually requires DNA testing, endoscopic examination, or observation of breeding behaviour.

Size

  • Length: 35–38 cm (13.8–15.0 in)

  • Wingspan: 50–55 cm (19.7–21.7 in)

  • Weight: 400–550 g

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