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Winged Divas with a Zest for LiFe |
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When
people conjure up the image of a parrot in their mind, it often takes
the form of a saucy, green-feathered imp riding around on a pirate’s
shoulder. In
other words, they picture an Amazon parrot. While not many Amazon parrots ride around on a pirate’s shoulder these days, these birds do have a reputation for being saucy and impish. Amazons are very intelligent, outgoing birds. They can be a real challenge, and they are not for the faint of heart, nor do they usually make good “first birds. |
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“Amazons
are absolutely full of themselves,” says Diana Holloway, president of
the Amazona Society. “They love attention, they love to talk and sing
- they’re real ‘divas’.” “They’ve
been described as ‘good time play birds, and I certainly agree with
that,” adds Sussanne Hardy, an animal health technician and bird
behavior consultant at This
playfulness is just one of the factors that people find so alluring
about Amazons. Their colorful feathers combined with their good talking
ability also make them very desirable as companions. |
 Amazon parrots can be a challenge if you're not firm and confident when handling them. John Geary Photo, © 2007 |
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THEY CAN BE GOOD TALKERS While
as a general rule, they do not talk as well as say, African greys,
people do find their feathering more attractive. “Greys
are phenomenal talkers, but they are grey,” says Wayne Davey, a
former Canadian World Parrot Trust director and a senior keeper at the “When
an African grey talks, it usually knows what it’s saying, but when an
Amazon talks, it’s usually mimicking. But Amazons’ talking ability
is still very high.” The best talking species tend to be blue-fronted Amazons and yellow-naped Amazons. Not all species are good talkers, though. Mealy Amazons and orange-winged Amazons, as a rule, tend not to talk as well as blue fronts and yellow-napes. In addition to their color and talking ability, other appealing characteristics of Amazons include their ability to learn tricks and their affectionate nature. WILD
AMAZONS Amazons
are “New World” birds, occurring naturally in the rainforests of Most
Amazons are monomorphic, meaning both males and females have the same
coloring; you cannot usually determine gender by simply looking at their
feathers, as in the case of some sexually dimorphic parrots, like Eclectus,
for example. While
all wild birds face issues of habitat loss, Davey says most Amazon
species are not endangered in the wild. “Island
species are the ones at highest risk, in places like All Amazons are on Appendix II (species not considered to be under the same threat as those in Appendix I, but which may become so if trade is not regulated). Some others, in addition to the double yellow heads are on Appendix I. AMAZONS
IN CAPTIVITY
George
Rason, Curator of Birds for the Niagara Falls Aviary, has worked with
Amazons for 30 years as a breeder and keeper at the “An
aviary environment is a rough-and-tumble environment, and Amazons are a
rough-and-tumble bird,” he says. It
is probably this rough-and tumble nature that allows Amazons to adapt to
life with humans much easier than birds like African greys or cockatoos,
another appealing quality in someone looking to keep a parrot as a pet. More
so than many other large parrots, they adjust well to captivity. Even in
less-than-ideal conditions, they seem to bounce back very quickly. “Amazons
don’t seem to carry around baggage like other species can,” says
Holloway. “We’ve had Amazons living in horrendous conditions for 20
years, and they come to us like stuffed bunnies. You watch them come out
of this, they’re absolute survivors.” COMMON
PET SPECIES
There
are more than 60 species of Amazons. The species most commonly kept as
pets include blue-fronted, yellow-naped, double-yellow-headed,
white-fronted, orange-winged, and Mealy Amazons. The first three are by
far the most popular pets. Other less-common Amazons kept as pets
include yellow-faced and yellow-shouldered Amazons. Here
are some thumbnail sketches of some of the more popular pet species. Blue-fronted
Amazon (Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx and
A.a. aestiva) These two Amazon sub-species can exhibit wide mood
swings, particularly during a breeding cycle.
They are generally excellent talkers. Yellow-headed
Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala) These birds
are renowned for their excellent talking combined with beautiful feather
colors. They can be temperamental, although less so than yellow napes. Yellow-naped
Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala auropalliata).
They also make excellent talkers but they require intelligent, firm
owners, as they can easily dominate a timid human. Orange-winged
Amazon (Amazona amazonica) This bird can
be a fair talker, although it’s not renowned for its talking. Reported
to be good with children, orange wings often “shadow box” at their
own shadows or imaginary enemies in the air. White-fronted
Amazon (Amazona albifrons) This is the
smallest Amazon kept as a pet in the Lilac-crowned
Amazon (Amazona finschi). This is
generally considered to be one of the quieter, gentler Amazons. Its
vocalizations tend to be softer than other Amazons. Mealy
Amazon (Amazona farinosa) This is the
largest Amazon kept as a companion. They are less prone to bite than
most Amazons. They are not usually good talkers. AMAZON
NUTRITION: Eat, drink, be merry! In
the wild, Amazons eat nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables, including
shoots, buds, pods, seeds and blossoms. They are not completely
vegetarian, as they will also eat grubs and when available, carrion. In
captivity, it is important to provide them with a wide variety of fresh
foods like fruit and vegetables, raw or cooked. This helps provide a
balanced diet and helps hold their interest. Amazons tend to be less
fussy or wary about new foods than other birds like African greys, but
they also can become bored with the same food, so you can and should
vary their diet regularly. “You
name it, they like it,” says Holloway. “I’ve never seen an Amazon
turn down anything. Rason
finds Amazons to be much more fruit and veggie-oriented than many other
parrots. “I
recommend one third of their diet be made up of formulated pellets, the
other two-thirds, fruit and a mixture of pulses (peas, beans and
chickpeas),” he says. All
parrots need plenty of vitamin A, K, E and calcium in their diets.
Carrots, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, papaya, cantaloupe and mango
are good sources of Vitamin A. Calcium is present in food like peas,
broccoli, almonds and Brazil nuts. Bell peppers are also good sources of
A, K and E. You
can offer occasional treats like small pieces of lean meat, hard-boiled
eggs and nuts. Go easy on the nuts, though; while most are rich in
protein, they also contain a fair amount of fat. Amazons can become
obese if they don’t exercise regularly. Food
presentation can also enrich their environment. Sticking pieces of fresh
fruit and veggies on a skewer in their cage or on their play gym
simulates foraging and provides additional stimulation for these
intelligent birds. LIVING
WITH AN AMAZON
Amazons
do require a firm hand in order to live a healthy, happy life in a human
home. Some
species are nippier than others. Lilac-crowns have a reputation for
their gentle nature, and may have to be really pushed to bite. “The
only time Captain, my lilac-crown, will try to bite me is when he
doesn’t want to be picked up, or when my macaw is out, because he
hates the macaw,” says bird lover Sherri Gleason, of One
important aspect of Amazon behavior involves the way they may change
upon reaching sexual maturity. Amazons can become much more aggressive
in a breeding cycle than many other large parrots. “The
males especially, when mature, can become untrustworthy,” says Davey.
“One of the rules about Amazons (as with all large parrots) is never
keep them close to your head.” “I
know one lady who always kept her hand-fed Amazon close to her face. One
day it bit her really badly and she needed stitches and plastic surgery.
Needless to say, she didn’t want the bird any more.” On
the other hand, some Amazons may pass through breeding season with
barely a ripple. “People
hear about it (hormonal aggression), and people write about it, but it
does not always happen,” says Holloway. “But once in a while,
you’ll get a bird with very high testosterone.” To
avoid undesirable situations, we need to be aware of the potential
aggressiveness as well as how we behave toward our pet. We often
unwittingly stimulate a bird while petting it. There are times we may
need to ease up on the affection, particularly strokes on its back,
under its wings, or around its tail area. Says
Davey, “At certain times of the year, with male Amazons, you may not
want to handle them as much, as they can get aggressive. Females can
also get that way, but it tends to be worse with males.” While
you may want to reduce handling your bird or change how you handle it
during a breeding phase, leaving your bird cagebound all day is not an
option. Like most large parrots, they require at least four hours a day
out of their cages. During a breeding cycle, you may need to handle your
bird with a stick or towel. “It’s
crucial that people stick train or towel train their bird so they can
still handle it in difficult circumstances,” says Hardy. Most
Amazons respond favorably to stepping up onto a wooden dowel. Those that
don’t may step up onto your hand wrapped in a thick towel to protect
your arm from bites. Diet
modifications can also help. Limiting starches and sugars during the
breeding cycle is a good idea. Feeding a bird too much corn or too many
grapes during a hormonal cycle can increase its hormones ten-fold. Amazons
also have a tendency to be more aggressive toward other species than
their own when in a breeding cycle, something to consider if you keep
other species of birds. Another
Amazon concern is noise: they can be very raucous, particularly in the
morning or evening. In the wild, they usually participate in loud
squawking sessions at those times, and this behavior often continues in
captivity. For
this reason, they are not good birds to keep in apartments or close
living quarters where their constant chatter can irritate your neighbors
- or even other family members, for that matter. As
rainforest animals, regular bathing is very important for healthy
Amazons, particularly if you live in a dry climate or in a colder area
where heaters run all winter. “They
thrive on being bathed,” says Holloway. Many
Amazon owners take their birds right into the showers with them. Others
use a mist spray bottle to regularly bathe their birds. Companion
Amazons seem to vary in terms of how they interact with other members of
their “flock,” whether that flock consists of humans, humans and
other birds, or humans, birds and other animals. They can get along with
other birds and family pets, but they can also be aggressive towards
them, so it is best to supervise them when they are out of their cages. Different
species will behave differently even if brought up the same way, in the
same home. “Max,
my Mealy, is very laid back and easy going,” says Anna Teets, a While
Amazons often develop closer bonds with one chosen person in the family
than others, that does not mean they are cut off from others in the
human-avian flock. “Even
if you don’t seem to be the favorite person of an Amazon, you can
still have a great relationship with that bird, it will just be
different,” says Hardy. It
is important to involve them in activities with the rest of the family,
since the family takes the place of their wild flock. That includes
meals, TV-watching, celebrations and games. TOYS
AND PLAYING
When
it comes to toys, Amazons cannot be pigeonholed. While many do take
great pleasure in turning wood blocks into toothpicks, some prefer more
intellectually oriented toys. Every bird needs to be assessed
separately, as play preferences can vary widely even within the same
species. “They
do tend to like very active, big, bright toys,” says Holloway, “They
like rope perches and swings and wood toys are very important, as they
need to chew.” Robin
Fiorese, of Surrey, B.C., says Gomez, her double yellow-headed Amazon is
very good at entertaining himself. “He
loves to climb, hand upside down and swing,” she says. “He also
really likes playing with rattles.” Other
birds may play better with humans than alone. In
terms of living space, Amazons must be able to open, stretch and flap
their wings comfortably in their cages. A cage should be at least two
times the size of the bird’s full wingspan to allow this. While
Amazons have a reputation for being vocal, there are always exceptions
to the rule. There are no guarantees your bird will be a good talker –
or be quiet, for that matter. “Orange
wings are not supposed to talk, but Bailey speaks about 400 words,”
says Teets. Some
Amazons may be more prone to sing or whistle than talk. “Macho,
my double-yellow headed Amazon, loves to whistle the theme for the old
Andy Griffith Show,” says New Yorker Ben Li-Gon. Erika
Nanartowicz, another New Yorker, says although her three-year-old blue
front Lola does not have a large vocabulary yet, they communicate in
other ways. “She
reacts to what’s going on around her, and to what I say,” she says.
“I can tell she understands what’s going on, but she can’t really
respond in our way, although she did learn to say, ‘What’s that?’
when I put something new in her food dish.” Amazons’
lifespan is another important consideration, as they can live to be 70
years old. There is a good chance your bird may outlive you, so you need
to make plans to secure a good home for your feathered friend once you
are gone. As
you may have concluded by now, living with Amazons presents many
challenges. But if you can measure up to the challenges, you stand to
reap rich rewards. “They are not for everybody, but people who have Amazons absolutely adore them,” says Holloway. “They are filled with the joy of life.” - By John Geary (written December 2004; originally published in the March 2005 issue of Birdtalk magazine.) |
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LOOKING
FOR MORE INFO ABOUT AMAZONS? You
might want to visit the following websites:
Books
about Amazon parrots:
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