Orange-winged amazon

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

This is a medium-sized amazon with a total lenght of 31-33 cm and a body-weight of around 300-470g.

The plumage is mostly green, with yellow crown patch and yellow cheeks, separated by blue forehead and lores, throat yellow-green tinged with blue; the bases of secondary feathers 1 to 3 are orange, the remainder green tipped with blue; central tail feathers green, side tail feathers green tipped yellow-green, the orange-red on inner webs of wings banded in centre with dark green and with red at bases of feathers.

The bill horn coloured becoming dark grey near tip. The eye ring is grey-white, the iris orange.

During the day, orange-winged amazons usually travel in pairs, but at night congregate in large numbers - often several hundreds - to sleep in communal roosts.

Like other amazons the orange-winged nests in natural tree cavities or woodpecker holes. A clutch may comprise up to 5 eggs.

The orange-winged amazon feeds on fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, blossoms and leaf buds.

Did you know?
that the male orange-winged amazon will eat for both himself and the female while she incubates the eggs and feeds the young? The male regurgitates the food for the female to eat.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	PSITTACIFORMES
Suborder	PSITTACI
Family	PSITTACIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Amazona amazonica
Name (English)	Orange-winged amazon
Name (French)	Amazone aourou
Name (German)	Venezuelaamazone
Name (Spanish)	Amazona alinaranja
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Philipp Weigell

Distribution

Distribution
Range	South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, introduced to Puerto Rico
Habitat	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest and swamps
Wild population	No global figures available, but population believed to be large.
Zoo population	227 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.

Some veterinary or customs authorities require that all psittacine birds are ringed upon importation. Recommended ring diameter for amazons 10-12 mm depending of species.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Frizu Gller-Grimm

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.