Lilac-crowned amazon

Lilac-crowned amazon
At Xcaret Eco Park, Mexico
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Amazona
Species: A. finschi
Binomial name
Amazona finschi
(Sclater, 1864)

The lilac-crowned amazon (Amazona finschi) is a parrot endemic to the Pacific slopes of Mexico. Also known as Finsch's amazon, the parrot is characterized by green plumage, a maroon forehead, and violet-blue crown.

The binomial of this bird commemorates the German naturalist and explorer Otto Finsch.

In 2006, BirdLife International classified this species as vulnerable. In 2014, IUCN uplisted this species to Endangered.

Description

A captive pair eating an apple
Close-up of head and neck

The lilac-crowned amazon is a medium sized mainly green parrot. It has a maroon forehead, a violet-blue crown, and a bone colored beak. It resembles the red-crowned amazon (Amazona viridigenalis) though the lilac-crowned amazon is less vibrant.

Feral populations

There are feral populations of this bird in several counties in southern California. It has been observed in residential and suburban areas, but also in native coniferous forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, United States.[2] Some have also been spotted in southern Texas, likely to be escapees.

Aviculture

Hand reared lilac-crowned amazons can be quite friendly in captivity and can learn quite a vocabulary, even though they are not known as talkers. They make good companion parrots.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Amazona finschi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ California Parrot Project: Lilac-crowned Parrot
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