Lilac-crowned Amazon

The Lilac-crowned Amazon, also called the Lilac-crowned Parrot or Finsch's Amazon, is a medium-sized parrot endemic to the Pacific slope of Mexico. It is named for the soft lilac-blue wash across its crown and nape, set off by a maroon-red forehead.

Appearance

• Body: green overall with darker scalloped feather edges
• Forehead: deep maroon-red patch
• Crown and nape: pale lilac-blue wash
• Wing: typically lacks a bold red or orange patch seen in some related Amazon species, though some blue may show in the flight feathers
• Bill: pale horn-colored, distinctive for being lighter than in many other Amazon parrots
• Eyes: orange iris with a whitish bare eye-ring

Juveniles show duller head coloring, with the maroon and lilac tones becoming more defined as they mature.

Key field marks

• Maroon-red forehead patch paired with a lilac-blue crown and nape
• Pale, light-colored bill
• Green body typical of Amazon parrots, with a stocky shape and short square tail
• Restricted to Pacific Mexico, aiding identification by range

Similar species

• Red-crowned Amazon (Amazona viridigenalis) has a solidly red crown without the lilac-blue wash and a darker bill, and occurs mainly in northeastern Mexico rather than the Pacific slope.
• Blue-fronted Amazon shows a bright turquoise forehead and yellow face, a different pattern and a different (South American) range.

The pale bill combined with the maroon-and-lilac head pattern, within its Pacific Mexico range, distinguishes this species from other Amazon parrots.

Range

The Lilac-crowned Amazon is endemic to the Pacific slope of Mexico, ranging from southern Sinaloa south through Nayarit, Jalisco, and Michoacán to Guerrero and Oaxaca.

Habitat

It occupies tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forest, foothill pine-oak forest, and adjacent woodland, typically at low to moderate elevations along the Pacific versant.

Movements

The species is largely resident, though some local or elevational movement may occur in response to seasonal food availability. Its range has become increasingly fragmented due to land conversion for agriculture and development.

Social behavior

Lilac-crowned Amazons are usually observed in pairs or small flocks, gathering in larger, noisy groups at good feeding trees or communal roosts outside the breeding season.

Voice

Calls include loud screeches and a range of harsher notes typical of Amazon parrots, used to keep flocks in contact as they move through the forest.

Feeding

They forage in the forest canopy for fruits, seeds, nuts, and flowers, moving between fruiting trees as availability changes through the year.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs nest in natural tree cavities, often in large trees within deciduous or pine-oak forest, laying a clutch of typically two to three eggs. Loss of large nesting trees due to logging has been identified as a significant threat to breeding success.