White-fronted amazon

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The white-fronted is a small amazon species, reaching a total length of only 25 cm and a body-weight of about 230 g.

The plumage is mostly green, scaled with black over head, breast and upper back. The forehead and forcrown are white, the midcrown blue, and the lores and feathered area around the eye red. Large wing feathers largely blue, inner webs of tail feathers red basally. In the male, alula and primary wing coverts are red.

Outside the breeding season, white-fronted amazons have communal roosts and are usually travelling in flocks of up to 50 birds or more.

Breeding occurs mostly during the dry season. Natural tree cavities or former woodpecker nests are used for nesting. A clutch consists of 3-5 eggs.

White-fronted amazons feed on figs, seeds, nuts, blossoms, corn, mangoes and other crops.

Did you know?
that there are three subspecies of white-fronted amazon? The nominate form, A. a. albifrons ranges along the Pacific coast from Central Mexico to Guatemala, A. a. saltuensis is confined to north-western Mexico, and A. a. nana occurs from southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	PSITTACIFORMES
Suborder	PSITTACI
Family	PSITTACIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Amazona albifrons
Name (English)	White-fronted amazon
Name (French)	Amazone à front blanc
Name (German)	Weissstirnamazone
Name (Spanish)	Loro frentiblanco
Local names	Costa Rica: Lora
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Debi

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
Habitat	Subtropical and tropical dry and moist lowland forests, including degraded former forests, savannas and agricultural districts.
Wild population	No global figures available, but population believed to be large
Zoo population	88 reported to ISIS (2008)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 11D of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Bryce Edwards

Why do zoos keep this animal

Amazons are conspicuous and attractive birds, which are good ambassador species for the conservation of neotropical forests. They have an interesting anatomy and behaviour, are intelligent birds able to mimic human speech and even to associate words with their meanings, and are thus also of educational interest. Zoos may keep amazon parrots also for animal welfare reasons as they may have to take care of confiscated birds, or former pet birds.

How this animal should be kept

Parrots must not be kept chained and must not be pinioned. If feather clipped, they should have available an area corresponding at least to that of an aviary for this species, and there must be ample climbing opportunities.

An aviary for a pair must have a surface of no less than 3 x 2 m and a height of at least 2 m. In cold and temperate climates a frost free shelter or indoor aviary of at least 2 m² x 2 m high is necessary.

A variety of branches for perching, climbing and chewing is necessary to keep these intelligent birds busy.

Parrots may select food items on the basis of colour and texture rather than on taste or nutrient content. Therefore it is important to provide a variety of nutritionally valuable and, at the same time, interesting food. Pellets provide an ideal diet only in combination with other favourable and nutritionally suitable feeds, e.g. a mixture of apple, carrots soaked corn and vitamin/mineral supplement, soaked sunflower seeds, fruit (e.g. grapes, banana, pear, plum, orange, mango), vegetables (e.g. sweet pepper, chicory, courgette), nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts), and dog pellets.