Mealy amazon

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Mealy amazon
Mealy Parrot, Peru.jpg
Tambopata River, Peru
Southern mealy amazon calls, recorded in Madre de Dios, Peru
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Amazona
Species:
A. farinosa
Binomial name
Amazona farinosa
(Boddaert, 1783)

The mealy amazon or mealy parrot (Amazona farinosa) is among the largest parrots in the genus Amazona, the amazon parrots. It is a mainly green parrot with a total length of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). It is native to tropical Central and South America. This species, the southern mealy amazon (Amazona farinosa farinosa ), the northern mealy amazon (Amazona farinosa guatemalae) are considered conspecific.

Contents

Taxonomy

The mealy amazon was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. [2] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. [3] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Psittacus farinosus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. [4] The mealy amazon is now placed in the large Neotropical genus Amazona that was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1830. [5] [6] The species is monotypic. [6] The specific epithet farinosa is from the Latin farinosus meaning "sprinkled with flour", [7] referring to down feather § powder down.

Description

Note the characteristic mealy ("flour") texture over the back and nape of neck. Amazona farinosa at Jungle Island-3-4c.jpg
Note the characteristic mealy ("flour") texture over the back and nape of neck.

The mealy amazon has a total length of about 38–41 cm (15–16 in) [8] [9] and weighs 540–700 g (19–25 oz). Captives commonly are heavier. It is among the largest parrots in the Americas, mainly being surpassed by the large macaws. It has a relatively short and square shaped tail, as do the other members of the Amazona genus.

A mealy amazon (left) with two yellow-crowned amazons (right and center) Amazona farinosa and Amazona ochrocephala.jpg
A mealy amazon (left) with two yellow-crowned amazons (right and center)

The mealy amazon is mainly green. The back and nape often have a whitish tinge; almost as if it had been covered in a thin layer of flour ("meal"; hence its name). The distal half of the tail is paler and more yellow than the basal half, thus resulting in a distinctly bi-colored look. In flight it shows a bluish-black trailing edge to the wing and a conspicuous red speculum. Occasionally a few yellow feathers are apparent on the top of the head.

In South America, it is commonly confused with the yellow-crowned amazon, but can be recognized by its larger size, less yellow to the crown (not entirely reliable, as some yellow-crowned may show almost none), the whitish tinge to its plumage, broader white eye-ring, and red of the leading edge of the wing placed near the phalanx (not near the radiale), but this is often difficult to see (especially on perched birds). Their voices are also strikingly different.

Distribution and habitat

The mealy amazon occurs in tropical Central America and South America. It frequents humid to semi-humid forest (only rarely in deciduous forest) and plantations. In regions dominated by open/dry habitats it is restricted to gallery forest or completely absent.

Behaviour

The mealy amazon is social and can be found in pairs or in large flocks. They are even known to interact with other parrots, such as macaws. They are usually quiet but can be loud at dusk and dawn. In captivity, they are known as one of the gentlest and calmest of all amazons.

Breeding

Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden Amazona farinosa MWNH 0580.JPG
Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

After mealy amazons reach sexual maturity they usually form monogamous relationships with a single partner. Each year courtship usually begins in early spring, and the female will usually lay three or four white eggs in a tree-cavity nest. The female incubates the eggs for about 26 days. The male regurgitates food for the female during the incubation period, and later for the chicks in the nest as well. The chicks leave the nest about 60 days after hatching. [10]

Food and feeding

The diet of the mealy amazon consists mostly of fruits, seeds, berries, nuts, blossoms, and leaf buds.

Status and conservation

It is fairly common in most of its range, but has declined locally due to habitat loss and trapping for the wild parrot trade. Trafficking of the birds (as for exotic pets) is illegal in many nations, but the species are still smuggled into the United States from Mexico. In some areas mealy amazons are hunted as food. The mealy amazon sometimes feeds on human crops (especially corn) and may be considered a crop pest.

The mealy amazon is bred in captivity with some regularity. It is sometimes kept as a companion parrot and is reported by owners to have a calm, gentle, docile and affectionate temperament towards humans. [11] [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed blue magpie</span> Species of bird

The red-billed blue magpie is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is 65–68 cm (25.5–27 in) long and weighs 196–232 g (6.9–8.2 oz).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western plantain-eater</span> Species of bird

The western plantain-eater, also known as the gray plantain-eater or western gray plantain-eater, is a large member of the turaco family, a group of large arboreal near-passerine birds restricted to Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar pied hornbill</span> Species of bird

The Malabar pied hornbill, also known as lesser pied hornbill, is a bird in the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-naped woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The white-naped woodpecker is woodpecker which is a widespread but a scarce breeder in the Indian Subcontinent. It is associated with open forest and scrub with some trees. It nests in a tree hole, laying one or two white eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied water tyrant</span> Species of bird

The pied water tyrant is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in tropical South America from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern mealy amazon</span> Species of bird

The southern mealy amazon or southern mealy parrot is among the largest parrots in the genus Amazona, the amazon parrots. It is a mainly green parrot with a total length of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). It is native to tropical Central and South America. This parrot and the northern mealy amazon are considered conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great grebe</span> Species of bird

The great grebe is the largest species of grebe in the world. A disjunct population exists in northwestern Peru, while the main distribution is from extreme southeastern Brazil to Patagonia and central Chile. The population from southern Chile is considered a separate subspecies, P. m. navasi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great-billed parrot</span> Species of bird

The great-billed parrot also known as Moluccan parrot or island parrot, is a medium-sized, approximately 38 cm long, green parrot with a massive red bill, cream iris, blackish shoulders, olive green back, pale blue rump and yellowish green underparts. The female is typically smaller than the male, but otherwise the sexes are similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater striped swallow</span> Species of bird

The greater striped swallow is a large swallow that is native to Africa south of the equator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded martin</span> Species of bird

The banded martin or banded sand martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is endemic to Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Neophedina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar ibis</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar ibis, also known as the Madagascar crested ibis, white-winged ibis or crested wood ibis, is a medium-sized, brown-plumaged ibis. It has bare red orbital skin, yellow bill, red legs, white wings and its head is partially bare with a dense crest of green or gloss blue and white plumes on the nape. The Madagascar ibis is the only member of the genus Lophotibis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet-necked lory</span> Species of bird

The violet-necked lory is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found in the northern Maluku Islands and west Papuan islands. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical mangrove forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilac-tailed parrotlet</span> Species of bird

The lilac-tailed parrotlet is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Variegated antpitta</span> Species of bird

The variegated antpitta is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, the Guianas and the northern Amazon Basin. Its range extends to Venezuela in the northwest; in the Amazon Basin, it is found in the downstream half of the basin, as well as in the Atlantic outlet region of the neighboring Tocantins-Araguaia River drainage to the southeast. A minor disjunct population is in Peru, and an Argentinian population is found in the tongue of land between Paraguay and southern Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-throated antbird</span> Species of bird

The rufous-throated antbird is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wing-banded wren</span> Species of bird

The wing-banded wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded tanager</span> Species of bird

The hooded tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-tufted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-tufted woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied seedsnipe</span> Species of bird

The white-bellied seedsnipe is a species of bird in suborder Scolopaci of order Charadriiformes, the shorebirds. It is found Argentina and Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guianan warbling antbird</span> Species of bird

The Guianan warbling antbird is an insectivorous bird in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. It is found at lower levels in humid forest in the Guianas, far eastern Venezuela, and north-eastern Brazil.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2022). "Amazona farinosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T45430572A210109682. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1780). "Le meunier ou le crik poudré". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 11. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. pp. 316–318.
  3. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Le perroquet meunier, de Cayenne". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 9. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 861.
  4. Boddaert, Pieter (1783). Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton : avec les denominations de M.M. de Buffon, Brisson, Edwards, Linnaeus et Latham, precedé d'une notice des principaux ouvrages zoologiques enluminés (in French). Utrecht. p. 52, Number 861.
  5. Lesson, René (1831). Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique (in French). Paris: F.G. Levrault. p. 189.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Parrots, cockatoos". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  157. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. Birds of Venezuela by Hilty (2003) ISBN   0-691-09250-8
  9. The Birds of Ecuador vol. 2 by Ridgely & Greenfield (2001) ISBN   0-7136-6117-8
  10. Alderton, David (2003). The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Caged and Aviary Birds. London, England: Hermes House. p. 232. ISBN   1-84309-164-X.
  11. "Mealy Amazon Parrot". Beauty of Birds. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  12. Brough, Clarice; Galloway, Cheryl. "Mealy Amazon Mealy Parrot, Blue-crowned Mealy Amazon". Animal World. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  13. Kalhagen, Alyson. "Mealy Amazon Parrot: Bird Species Profile". The Spruce Pets. Retrieved 20 July 2023.