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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
blue-fronted
Amazon |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Psittaciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Psittacidae
(true parrots) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Amazona
aestiva |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
This
is a medium-sized parrot. The overall color is green
with a yellow face, blue feathers around the beak
and yellow and red patches on the shoulders. The
feet and beak are dark gray. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
37.5 cm (15 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
400-550 g (14-19.25 oz) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, and leaves |
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| INCUBATION: |
Approximately
28 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-3 eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
60-75
days |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
3-5 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 60-80 years |
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| RANGE: |
Southwestern
Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia , and northern Argentina |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
humid and dry forests, palm trees, and at the edge
of rivers |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
These
birds are very good at mimicking human speech and
are known to be noisy. When Amazon parrots were
first discovered they were called kriken,
which is derived from the French word meaning "screechers". |
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| 2. |
Parrots are considered pests because their eating
habits are destructive to crops. |
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| 3. |
When the flock finds a new tree with fresh buds,
they all land on a branch with much squawking. The
branch bends under their collective weight and they
all begin to chew at the fresh branch. The bark
is crushed in their powerful beaks and they swallow
the plant juices. |
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| 4. |
Amazons
use their feet as hands. |
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| 5. |
Like
most parrots, Amazons are monogamous, choosing a
partner for life. |
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Amazons
are messy eaters - their extremely strong beaks
are perfectly adapted for eating all sorts of
nuts and seeds, as seen in their ability to crack
open incredibly hard-shelled nuts with ease. In
the course of daily feeding, Amazons allow plenty
of seeds (while eating, as well as in their droppings)
to fall to the forest floor, thus generating much
of the forest growth.
Wild
populations of the blue-fronted Amazon are declining
in central Argentina due to habitat destruction
and overexploitation for pet trade. They are the
most frequently kept household pets in their native
region.
The
U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import
of any bird listed by CITES which includes most
parrots - endangered or threatened.
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|
|
Bosch, K. and U. Wedde. Encyclopedia of Amazon
Parrots. New Jersey. T.F.H. Publications: 1981. |
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Forshaw, J.M. Parrots of the World. New
Jersey. T.F.H. Publications Inc. 1978.
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| Marrison,
C. and A. Greensmith. Birds of the World.
New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc. 1993. |
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| Perrins,
C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New
York: Facts on File Publications. 1985. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/search/simple/ |
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