Everyone Loves The Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot

Many people are attracted to the vibrant coloring of the Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot. If you are considering owning one you need to keep in mind that this will be a long-term commitment. These majestic birds can live to be 60 to 80 years old!

If you are willing to make this type of commitment, in return you will enjoy many hours of pleasure and entertainment.

The Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot can grow as long as 15 inches, with the female, as in most species, being slightly smaller than the male. They have sturdy hooked beaks that keep busy with grasping, climbing and exploring in addition to cracking seeds and nuts.

They use their feet, as well as their beaks, for climbing. With two toes pointing forwards and two toes pointing towards the rear their feet are perfect for grasping. Besides climbing, they use their feet to hold some of their food while they eat.

Wild Yellow Headed Amazons will eat an assortment of blossoms, berries nuts fruits and seed buds.

Like all parrots, diet and nutrition are are of the utmost importance to their health and happiness. In a domestic situation these birds thrive on a high quality commercial pelleted food as the staple along with fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains.

The Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot is originally from the coastal regions of Mexico. They can also be found in Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. These beautiful parrots are considered rare and are now on the endangered species list due to poaching, illegal trade and destruction of their nesting habitat through deforestation. Their preferred habitats are tropical and sub-tropical rain forests, mangrove swamps, savannahs and cultivated land with trees available to nest in.

Yellow Headed Amazons are bred in captivity and are widely available as pets, though fairly expensive. They are one of the most popular parrot species, due mainly to their vocal talents. They run a close second to the African Grey Parrot which is considered the top “talker” among parrots.

Talking ability varies from bird to bird. While some are excellent talkers, others may never talk at all. The Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot is an extremely active, playful, funny and intelligent bird. They love attention and often strive to get it by being loud and playful.

Beware – they are said to be the loudest species of Amazon parrot! But with a little effort and training you should be able to replace the screeching with human speech.

The best environment for a Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot is an aviary that allows them the room to move around freely and fly. They are also able to adjust to indoor cages as long as their owner is willing to spend time with them and allow for daily “out-of-cage” exercise.

They can also become destructive if not offered enough stimulation with items such as branches and chewing toys. You can even find some quite elaborate “playgrounds” for parrots at many local pet stores.

If you are looking for a magnificent looking, intelligent, playful and loyal companion then I highly recommend the Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot.