Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot

NAME:
Eng. Blue fronted Amazon Parrot, Blue Front Amazon
Lat. Amazona a. Aestiva

On the photo up you can see blue fronted amazon parrot.

ORIGIN: Eastern parts of Brazil and the coastal areas by the river Rio Grande.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: Blue fronted amazon parrots are 37 cm (15 in) in size. Their basic color is green, and the forehead is blue, hence their name. The lores and the periophthalamic ring are yellow. The upper edges of the wings are red and wing coverts are yellow-green. The tail is green with green-yellow sides. The bill is dark grey. The iris is orange. The feet are grey with dark nails. Thier sex is not easily distinguishable. They are often mistaken with a small Amazon (Amazon amazonica) which is smaller and is more pale in color. Click for more Amazon parrot pictures.

Some people call them simply - green parrot.

KEEPING AND CARE OF AMAZON PARROT: The birds of this family are calm and generally not noisy. Blue fronted amazon parrot produce sounds at dawn and sunset. They can be kept on a stand or in a cage. A cage of medium size with strong wires is appropriate for their keeping. As pets it is better to keep them separate because in pairs they will not become as tame as when they are on their own.

Here you can see two blue front amazon parrots from local pet shop.

Blue fronted amazons are communicative and like being the center of attention. They can imitate different melodies very well like the sound of a telephone ringing, the barking of a dog or a child crying. The speech imitation is not as distinctive as it is in the grey African parrots; however, this must be understood on an individual basis. There are cases that have gone beyond expectations with the speech of the Grey African parrots. It is recommended to get younger birds hatched in shelters as their socialzation is faster and such birds are more attached to the owner. As they like bathing, it should be provided once to twice a week. We can do this by splashing them with water at a mild temperature.

DIET: The nutrition of amazon parrot, like that of other big parrots, consists of speckled sunflower seeds, seeds of peanuts, maize, shelled oats, pine seeds, buckweat and hemp. The nutrion must be enriched by minerals, fruits and vegetables. They like apples, grapes, carrots
and chicory as well as young tender corn.

BREEDING OF BLUE FRONT AMAZON PARROT: In nature, the breeding season begins in September and lasts until March. In captivity, breeding begins in April. It may begin in the middle of winter as well. The most adaquate temperature for breeding stimulation is 20C (68F). Amazon parrot prefer a lot of humidity in the air as it is found in their natural habitat. The birds that one has decided to breed should not be disturbed and, if possible, they should be isolated. The aviaries have to be large enough, 2 m to 3 m (80-118 in) in length, 2 m (80 in) high and 0.8 to 1 m (32-40 in) wide. The aviary is made of two inner parts or a winter and outer part.

On image, blue fronted amazon parrot picture in aviary.

A few thick branches should be put in the aviaries so the birds are free to climb. The nest could be made from a tree stump or it can be a wooden box of 80 cm in height and 30 cm in length and width (32x12x12 in). It can be placed in the inner part of an aviary so as to prevent the birds from being disturbed while laying on their eggs. A female usually clutches 3 to 4 eggs, sometimes 5. Incubation lasts 26 days. The younglings start fetching the food by themselves after 60 days and thus begin to be independent. Watching over the eggs and the younglings is essential after the first couple of days. If the parents are not feeding the younglings adequately, one will have to feed them by hand. During the breeding season, as well as the time of feeding the younglings, one must increase the protein diet which is based on eggs.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AMAZON PARROT: They appear in almost all pirate movies.

On the photo up is the picture of the yellow fronted amazon parrot. Roles for keeping and breeding are the same like for blue fronted amazon birds.

They can live up to 100 years, but the avarage life span in shelters is about 60 years.
They are calm birds and love small children.
They are more tolerant than other parrots.