Amazona

Amazon parrots are parrots in the genus ''Amazona''. They are medium-sized, short-tailed parrots native to the Americas, with their range extending from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Amazona'' is one of the 92 genera of parrots that make up the order Psittaciformes and is in the family Psittacidae, one of three families of true parrots. It contains about thirty species. Most amazons are predominantly green, with accenting colors that depend on the species, and they can be quite vivid. They feed primarily on seeds, nuts, and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.

Many amazons have the ability to mimic human speech and other sounds. Partly because of this, they are popular as pets or companion parrots, and a small industry has developed in breeding parrots in captivity for this market. This popularity has led to many parrots being taken from the wild to the extent that some species have become threatened. The United States and the European Union have made the capture of wild parrots for the pet trade illegal in an attempt to help protect wild populations. Feral populations of amazons can be found in different parts of the world, including in South Africa, Europe, and major cities in the Americas.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Amazona'' was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1830. The type species was subsequently designated as the southern mealy amazon (''Amazona farinosa'') by the Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1891. The genus name is a Latinized version of the name ''Amazone'' given to them in the 18th century by the Comte de Buffon, who believed they were native to Amazonian jungles.

''Amazona'' contains about thirty species of parrots, such as the Cuban amazon, festive amazon, and red-necked amazon. The taxonomy of the yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'' complex) is disputed, with some authorities only listing a single species (''A. ochrocephala''), while others split it into as many as three species (''A. ochrocephala'', ''A. auropalliata'' and ''A. oratrix''). The split is primarily based on differences related to extension of yellow to the plumage and the colour of bill and legs. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA do not support the traditional split.

A 2017 study published by ornithologists Tony Silva, Antonio Guzmán, Adam D. Urantówka and Paweł Mackiewicz proposed a new species from the Yucatán Peninsula area in Mexico called the blue-winged amazon (''Amazona gomezgarzai''). However, subsequent studies question its validity, indicating that these organisms possibly had an artificial hybrid origin.

The yellow-faced parrot (''Alipiopsitta xanthops'') was traditionally placed within this genus, but recent research has shown that it is more closely related to the short-tailed parrot and species in the genus '' Pionus'', resulting in it being transferred to the monotypic genus ''Alipiopsitta''.

Extinct hypothetical species

Populations of amazon parrots that lived on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe are now extinct. It is not known if they were distinct species or subspecies, or if they originated from parrots introduced to the islands by humans, so they are regarded as hypothetical extinct species. No evidence of them remains, and their taxonomy may never be established. Populations of several parrot species were described mainly in the unscientific writings of early travelers, and subsequently scientifically described by several naturalists (to have their names linked to the species that they were proposing) mainly in the 20th century, with no more evidence than the earlier observations and without specimens. An illustration of a specimen termed " George Edwards' parrot" has sometimes been considered a possibly distinct, extinct species, but it may also have been a yellow-billed or Cuban amazon with aberrant colouration.
* Martinique amazon, ''Amazona martinica.'' A.H. Clark, 1905.
* Guadeloupe amazon, ''Amazona violacea''. Originally called ''Psittacus violaceus'' by J.F. Gmelin in 1789.

Description

Most amazon parrots are predominantly green, with contrasting colors on parts of the body such as the crown, face and flight feathers; these colours vary by species. They are medium- to large-sized parrots, measuring between long, and have short, rounded tails and wings. They are heavy-billed, and have a distinct notch on the upper mandible and a prominent naked cere with setae on it. Male and female amazon parrots are roughly the same size, though males can be larger at times - most amazon parrots do not show sexual dimorphism, exceptions being the white-fronted amazon, Yucatan amazon and the turquoise-fronted amazon, the latter species being sexually dimorphic when viewed in the ultraviolet spectrum, invisible to humans. They can weigh from 190g to more than 565g. The average body temperature of an amazon parrot is 41.8 degrees Celsius, or 107.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Their heart rates range from 340 to 600 beats per minute, with 15-45 breaths per minute.

Distribution and habitat

Amazon parrots are native to the Neotropical