Puerto Rican Amazon

Description

The Puerto Rican amazon (Amazona vittata),also known as the Puerto Rican parrot or iguaca,is the only extant bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico belonging to the Neotropical genus Amazona.Measuring 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in),the bird is a predominantly green parrot with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes.Two subspecies have been described,although there are doubts regarding the distinctiveness of the form gracilipes from Culebra Island,extinct since 1912.Its closest relatives are believed to be the Cuban amazon and the Hispaniolan amazon.The Puerto Rican amazon reaches sexual maturity at between three and four years of age.It reproduces once a year and is a cavity nester.Once the female lays eggs she will remain in the nest and continuously incubate them until hatching.The chicks are fed by both parents and will fledge 60 to 65 days after hatching.This parrot's diet is varied and consists of flowers,fruits,leaves,bark and nectar obtained from the forest canopy.The species is the only remaining native parrot in Puerto Rico and has been listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union since 1994.Once widespread and abundant,the population declined drastically in the 19th and early 20th centuries with the removal of most of its native habitat;the species completely vanished from Vieques and Mona Island,nearby to the main island of Puerto Rico.Conservation efforts commenced in 1968 to save the bird from extinction.In 2012,the total estimated population was 58–80 individuals in the wild and over 300 individuals in captivity.The Puerto Rican amazon measures 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in) and weighs 250–300 g (8.8–10.6 oz),or 275 g (9.7 oz) on average.Although small compared to amazons in general,it is similar in size to other Greater Antilles Amazona species.Sexual dimorphism is not present.Both males and females have predominantly green plumage,though their feathers have blue edges.The primary flight feathers of the wings and the main covert feathers are dark blue.The color of the feathers on the underside varies depending on the body part: the feathers on the underside of the wings,which can be seen during flight,are bright blue;those in the tail have yellow-green tone.Their underparts are paler and yellow-tinged,their foreheads are red,and they have white ovals around the eyes.The iris is brown,the bill a horn color,and the legs yellow-tan.Aside from DNA tests,males and females can only be distinguished by behavioral differences during the breeding season.Immature birds have plumage similar to adults.