Yellow-shouldered Parrot
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| Amazona barbadensis (Gmelin, 1788) |
The Yellow-shouldered Parrot or Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) is a parrot of the genus Amazona that is a resident breeder in the arid areas of northern Venezuela, the Venezuelan islands of Margarita and La Blanquilla, and the island of Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles). It has become extinct on Aruba and possibly also on Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles).
The Yellow-shouldered Parrot nests in a tree hole and lays 3-4 eggs. It is highly gregarious when not breeding, forming flocks of up to 100 birds.
It is green, about 33 cm long, with yellow patches on the head and shoulders, and a red patch on the wing. The yellow shoulder patch and extensive yellow on the head distinguish it from other Amazona species which have red on the shoulder and restricted yellow on the head.
The call of this species is a rolling cur'r'r'k.
There are probably around a thousand Yellow-shouldered Parrots in the wild. They feed on fruits, seeds, and cactus flowers.
The threats to this parrot are the cagebird trade and habitat degradation due to overgrazing by goats.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Amazona barbadensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable, and the criteria used
- Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- Island Resource Foundation. Threatened and Endangered Birds of the Insular Caribbean, Yellow-shouldered Amazon, Amazona barbadensis. Downloaded on 5th June 2006 from http://www.irf.org/bbarden.htm
[edit] External links
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Amazona barbadensis
- Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) - BirdLife species factsheet
- Yellow-Shouldered Amazon Parrots - Avian Web
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