Yellow-crowned Amazon

The Yellow-crowned Amazon is a medium to large parrot native to northern South America. It is a member of the diverse Amazona genus and is named for the small yellow patch on the top of its head, which contrasts with its otherwise green plumage.

Appearance

• Body: predominantly bright green with darker feather edging giving a slightly scalloped look
• Crown: patch of yellow feathers on the forehead and crown, varying in extent between individuals
• Wing: red patch at the bend of the wing (alula), often with some blue in the flight feathers
• Tail: green with yellowish tips
• Bill: horn-colored to grayish
• Eyes: orange-red iris in adults, surrounded by a whitish bare eye-ring

Juveniles show little or no yellow on the crown, which develops with age.

Key field marks

• Overall green body with a distinct yellow crown patch
• Red patch at the bend of the wing
• Pale, unfeathered eye-ring
• Stocky build typical of Amazon parrots, with a short, square-cut tail

Similar species

• Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix) and Yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata), sometimes treated as subspecies of the same complex, show much more extensive yellow covering the head or nape rather than just a crown patch.
• Orange-winged Amazon has yellow and blue on the face rather than a solid yellow crown, plus an orange (not red) wing patch visible in flight.
• Mealy Amazon lacks any yellow on the head and appears paler, more grayish-green overall.

The limited yellow confined mostly to the crown, paired with a red (not orange) wing patch, helps separate this species from its closest relatives.

Range

The Yellow-crowned Amazon is found across much of northern South America, including Venezuela, the Guianas, Colombia, and parts of the Amazon Basin, with some populations in Trinidad.

Habitat

It occupies a range of forested and semi-open habitats, including lowland tropical forest, forest edge, gallery forest, savanna woodland, and mangroves, generally favoring areas below 1,000 meters elevation.

Movements

The species is largely non-migratory, though flocks may shift locally to track seasonal fruit and seed availability across their home range.

Social behavior

Yellow-crowned Amazons are typically seen in pairs or small flocks, gathering in larger noisy groups at communal roost trees, especially in the evening.

Voice

Their calls include loud, raucous screeches and squawks, along with a variety of harsher and softer notes; like many Amazon parrots they are capable of mimicking sounds.

Feeding

They forage in the forest canopy and forest edge for fruits, seeds, nuts, flowers, and buds, using their strong bill to crack open hard seed coverings.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs nest in tree cavities, often reusing the same hollow in successive years, and typically lay two to three eggs. Both parents are involved in caring for the young until they fledge.