Yellow-Crowned Amazon Natural History
Size
Can grow up to 33-38 cm (13-15 in) long.
Habitat and Distribution
It is found in the Amazon Basin and Guianas, north-western South America and Panama, and is a bird of tropical forest (both humid and dry), woodland, mangroves, savanna and may also be found on cultivated land and suburban areas.
Age
Lifespan in the wild is around 27 years, and in captivity around 35 years.
Diet
Consists mainly of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a small amount seeds.
Groups and Breeding
The yellow crowned Amazon nests in tree cavities, they normally lay 2-3 eggs in a clutch, with the female incubating for about 26 days, once hatched the young birds stay in the nest box for approximately 65 days.
Threats
The biggest threat is deforestation, but also capture for the pet trade.
Interesting Facts
The male and female look identical, and to determine the gender of the parrots they have to be surgically or DNA sexed.
The Yellow-Crowned Amazon During Your Day Out in Kent
The yellow-crowned amazon, Shaggy is on display in a communal long flight enclosure which he shares with other parrot species such as citron crested cockatoos and galah cockatoos This enclosure can be found opposite the education building and visitors can head from here to the entrance to the tropical house to see many other bird species, spix night monkey’s, little flying foxes and Egyptian fruit bats.
The more you know…
Want to know more about this animal? Check out our keeper blogs about them here.