Yellow-headed Parrot
Yellow-headed Parrot
Amazona oratrix
At a Glance
Because it can be trained to imitate human speech, this chunky parrot has been popular in the cage bird trade. As a result, it is now endangered in the wild. Formerly widespread in Mexico and northern Central America, it is thought to have declined by 90 percent in it native range. Escaped cage birds have established feral flocks around Los Angeles and San Diego, California, and locally in southern Florida. The few seen in southern Texas are probably escapees also, although some might possibly be wild strays from the population in Mexico.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Endangered
Habitat
Forests and Woodlands, Urban and Suburban Habitats
Behavior
Direct Flight
Range & Identification
Description
14" (36 cm). A chunky, heavy-bodied parrot with broad wings and a short tail. Mostly green, with a contrasting yellow head. Red on shoulders and on secondaries in wings, more obvious in flight. Juvenile has yellow restricted to forehead at first. Like other Amazona parrots, flies with stiff, shallow wingbeats.
Size
About the size of a Crow
Wing Shape
Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Rounded, Short, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Unlike other parrots they often fly silently but will sometimes emit low pitched human sounding screams. Clucking sound from young birds indicates hunger. In captivity this parrot is an exceptional mimic and may be taught to vocalize human speech. It is considered second only to the African Gray Parrot in this ability.
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