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Yellow-headed aka Double Yellow-headed Amazon Parrots

Useful Webpages: General Information about Amazon Parrots ... Amazon Species ... Amazon Photo Gallery .... The Diseases of the Amazon Parrots ... Amazon Nutrition / Diet

Are you looking for a Yellow-headed Amazon? Click here for a listing of breeders

Relevant Products: Amazon Parrot Books ... Amazon Parrot Cages: Medium (acceptable) - Large-size (preferred) ... Bird Toys

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The Double Yellow Head is probably the best known of all the Amazons. This parrot is endangered in its natural habitat in Central and South America. In the wild, they generally live in large, noisy flocks.

They reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 years of age. During breeding, they live in monogamous pairs and nest in hollow tree limbs. They lay an average of 2-3 eggs, which are incubated for about 28 days. Their lifespan ranges from 60 to 80 years.

Physical Description

The Yellow-naped Amazon averages 15 - 17 inches (38–43 cm) in length (including tail). When excited all feathers of the neck and crown are raised, making the head appear double in size. They have a robust build, rounded wings, and a square tail. The body is bright green, with yellow on the head, dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing, and yellow thighs The flight feathers are blackish to bluish violet with a red patch on the outer secondaries. The base of the tail also has a red patch, which is usually hidden. The outer tail feathers have yellowish tips. The bill is horn-colored, darker in immatures of the Belizean and Honduran subspecies. The eye ring is whitish in Mexican birds and grayish in others. Male and female look alike.

Immatures have less yellow than adults; they attain adult plumage in 2 to 4 years. '

Mutations: Lutino and blue mutations and myriad variations have been produced in aviculture. Below is a photo of Tommy - a beautiful and rare mutation double headed amazon. According to his owners, he is a great pet. He likes attention and wants to be close to the action. He can be very vocal screaming "come here, come here!" Like just about all parrots, he likes to discipline by biting from time to time. Training is recommended to prevent undesirable behavior.

Personality / Pet Potential:

These beautiful parrots are very intelligent and imaginative birds that are easily tamed as they enjoy human company. Therefore, they have grown to be very popular in the pet bird trade. They are considered very good talkers and singers.

Some become nippy and they may not be the right pet for the casual owner who doesn't want to take the time to learn about parrot behavior and training. They are generally known to be noisy, thus they may not be suitable for individuals who are intolerant to noise. As is the case with most mid-size to large parrot, they can be destructive unless their energy is redirected at chewing toys, natural & non-toxic branches, and training of tricks.

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Many Yellow-headed Amazons have a very sweet disposition -- however, some can be nippy and challenging. They demand a lot of attention and will engage in all sorts of behavior to get it.

Amazon ownership generally presents multiple challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Aggressive behavior is especially common in "hormonal" amazons. Undisciplined amazons will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable.

Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation.

Behavioral challenges that amazon present may include:

• Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Undisciplined parrots will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. The owner needs to provide plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach an amazon parrot what is fine to chew on and what is "off-limits."



• Biting & Hormonal Behavior:
  
  Dominant Behavior: Amazon Parrots, as most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established.
  • Training is vital to stop this aggressive behavior.

Hormonal Aggression: Amazon parrots are also known for their "hormonal" aggression phase. This phase usually appears between the ages of 5 to 12 years. During this time there will be one to two years in which they are likely to be very aggressive. Fortunately, once they go through this, they generally settle down with little or no aggression shown outside the breeding season - with some aggression, but to a lesser degree, when they are in breeding condition.

Amazons going through that stage are difficult to handle for many but the most experienced amazon owners. Species such as Lilac Crowns and Mealies are less excitable than other amazon species during the breeding season. Females tend to be calmer than males during this phase. An attack by a hormonal male can be vicious and will not be limited to one bite.

Many bird owners are bewildered by the fact that their previously so cuddly pet suddenly turns on them - their primary caretakers. To add insult to injury, their pet may pick another family member as their favorite. Dr. Jill Patt describes this being similar to a wild bird leaving its parents and choosing a mate. She suggests the following ways of dealing with it:

1. Understand that this is a natural behavior.



2. Have the family member the bird has picked limit their interaction with your bird, spend time with the bird when that family member is absent, and ensure that only you are the one to provide all favorite treats and activities.



3. The environment can also be altered somewhat to attempt to reduce breeding behavior. Limiting the daylight hours to mimic a winter sun will often help.



4. In some instances, the vet may prescribe drugs that balance out a pet's hormones.



5. Click here for more information on reducing hormonal behavior in birds.

• Calling / Voicing / Screaming: Not everybody can tolerate the natural loud call of an amazon, and even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching. Amazon parrots are excellent talkers though, and their natural loud call can be replaced with human speech with a little bit of training. Fortunately, they are quick learners.
  

Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...

• AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.


• If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
  
  • the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
    • Stop Biting
    • Perform Tricks &
    • Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
  • and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:

• Amazon General Information



• What Bird Fits Into My Lifestyle



• Procuring your Parrot: Between $500 and $1,400 (depending on location and source; mutations extra). For information on purchasing this bird, please consider the following resources:
  
  
  • BREEDERS:
    
    
    • Michigan / South West: Silver Cloud Aviary - http://www.silvercloudaviary.com
      Breeder of African Greys (TAG & CAG), Amazons (DYH, Mexican Red-Headed, Lilac- Crowned, Yellow-Naped), Cockatiels, Conures (Green Cheek [Pineapple, Cinnamon, Yellow-Sided, Turquoise and Normals] and Sun Conures), Eclectus (SI) and Rosellas (Stanley/Western) - Ship (weather permitting)
    
    
    
    • Click here for more breeders. Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options..



• The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy



• Housing Your Bird



• Bird Nutrition ... In the wild, its natural diet consists of seeds, nuts, fruits and plant material. To learn more about the diet of the captive Amazon Parrot, please visit this webpage.



• Parrot Products

Taxonomy:

Species: Scientific: Amazona oratrix aka Amazona ochrocephala oratrix ... English: Yellow-headed Amazon ... Dutch: Dubbele Geelkopamazone ... German: Doppelgelbkopfamazone ... French: Amazone de Levaillant

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If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!