The Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala) or rose-throated parrot is a parrot that was in great danger of extinction before being reintroduced into various original environments.
Features
The Cuban Amazon is a medium-sized parrot (about 32 cm) with a robust appearance. It has a bright green plumage characterized by a black border on the feathers and thus producing a particular effect on the general coloration of the plumage.
| Reign | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Fork | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Psittaciformes |
| Family | Psittacidae |
| Gender | Amazona |
Description
The Cuban Amazon is a parrot measuring about 32 cm with a robust but well-proportioned appearance.
It has a bright green-colored plumage characterized by a black border on the feathers and thus producing a particular effect on the general coloration of the plumage.
Four subspecies of Cuban Amazon are recognized:
- Amazona leucocephala bahamensis, on several islands of the Bahamas archipelago.
- Amazona leucocephala caymanensis, from Grand Cayman Island.
- Amazona leucocephala hesterna, from Little Cayman Island.
- Amazona leucocephala leucocephala, from western and central Cuba.
Its plumage is mainly green, and all feathers, apart from those of the nape, are bordered with black.
Its forehead is white up to the top of the head and its cheeks and throat are pink-red.
You can also see in the center of his belly a purple-red spot.
The beak is yellowish.
Large remiges have blue outer beards, while inner beards and primary covers are black.
The rectrices have a red base and a yellow end.
Its irises are pale olive green, and the feathers covering its ears are blackish.
The legs are pink.
Unlike adults, the juvenile has little, if any, red on the abdomen, less black border on green feathers, as well as a few feathers on the top of its head pale yellow rather than white.
Natural habitat
This Amazon parrot is native to the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands.
It can only be seen in the Bahamas on Abaco and Great Inagua, where it is quite common while Cuba, where it is locally common, is home to it in the Guanahacabibes peninsula, Zapata Swamp, the Sierra de Najasa, and in some mountains of the province of Oriente.
On the other hand, it is rather easily found in the Cayman Islands.
In Cuba and the Bahamas, it inhabits dense forests including pine forests while it prefers dry forests and agricultural areas in the Cayman Islands.
It has also been recorded in palm groves, mangroves, plantations, and gardens.
It prefers to live on trees and only descends to the ground on rare occasions.
Captivity
In general, the breeding couple is housed in a large aviary 6m long by 2m wide and 2.5m high with a building 2m long by 2m wide and 2.5m high.
The aviaries are made of metal and must be installed in such a way as to be protected by trees, or by windproof sails thus providing shelter from the heat of the sun, the wind, as well as the rain.
Whether she is in an aviary or in a large cage, she must be able to exercise her climbing skills: branches and games must be made available to her so that she can practice. This parrot can be easily tamed, moreover, it is a very good talker but it confides its affection easily and can be very possessive.
The Cuban Amazon was rarely seen in poultry farming outside of Cuba and Florida (where it was bred in captivity by Cuban immigrants) before the 1980s and is considered one of the most difficult to breed Amazon parrots, with aggressive behavior in males towards their congeners and their own chicks.
Despite increased availability in recent times, it is still one of the rarest of all Amazons.
Longevity
This bird lives on average 50 years in captivity.
Behavior
The Cuban Amazon most often remains in the trees and only descends to the ground on rare occasions.
In winter the Amazons of Cuba gather in groups and disperse in pairs only during the breeding season.
This Amazon is very noisy, especially when it is perched in a group.
In-flight, she screams harshly.
Feeding
This Amazon feeds on various seeds and fruits including the fruits of palm trees but also mahogany seeds (Swietenia mahagoni).
Will also eat oranges and other edible fruits sometimes making them a nuisance to farmers.
Breeding
The breeding season is from March to September.
Amazons nest in the deep cavities of tall palm trees.
The female lays three to four white eggs that she incubates for 25 days while the male brings food to the female.
Eggs hatch asynchronously 12-72 hours apart and are born defenseless, blind, and almost completely plucked.
Their eyes open after 3 weeks.
Chicks are fed with food regurgitated by their parents.
This parrot mainly uses old woodpecker nests and dead palm trees that have lost their foliage.
The Abaco Island population has a unique nesting behavior as it nests in limestone crevices on the ground.
Reproduction of this species is very difficult, often individuals in captivity do not like or are not willing to mate at the same time which prevents them from reproducing.
Status in the Natural State
The Cuban Amazon is a parrot that was in great danger of extinction before being reintroduced into various environments of its origins.
Bird trapping is prohibited in Cuba and other Caribbean islands, but clandestine collection continues.
On Abaco, nesting on the ground makes it vulnerable to wild cats and other predators.
This species is classified as Near Threatened with Extinction on the IUCN Red List.
Ecology and behavior
The Cuban Amazon most often remains in the trees and only descends to the ground on rare occasions.
Habitat and distribution
This bird frequents wooded areas far from human habitation.
Classification
Subspecies
Four subspecies of Cuban Amazon are recognized:
- Amazona leucocephala bahamensis (H. Bryant, 1867), on several islands in the Bahamas archipelago ;
- Amazona leucocephala caymanensis (Cory, 1886) from Grand Cayman Island ;
- Amazona leucocephala hesterna (Bangs, 1916), from Little Cayman Island ;
- Amazona leucocephala leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1758), from western and central Cuba.
Cuban Amazon Pet Store
SOURCE:Salman’s Exotic Pet Store
