Yellow-headed Parrot

Overview

Yellow-headed Parrot: Large green parrot with yellow head. Flight feathers all tipped blue-black, patch of red on secondary feathers and at bend in wing. Curved yellow beak, gray legs and feet. Feeds on fruits, seeds, and buds. Classified as an Endangered Species owing to rapid population decline.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-headed Parrot: Found in coastal areas of southern Mexico, though endangered and populations declining sharply. Small numbers of escaped cage birds now established in Los Angeles, California, south Texas, and in Florida. Found in pine and deciduous forests and adjacent savannahs.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Yellow-headed Parrot was first described in 1887 by Robert Ridgway, an American
ornithologist. It is also known as the Double Yellow-headed Amazon. Their popularity as pets continues to fuel poaching efforts, which have nearly driven it to extinction in the wild. Their population has declined from 70,000 to 7,000 in the past two decades alone.
They have been kept as pets for centuries because they are among the parrots that "talk" best.
Their vocal abilities are generally considered to be bested only by the African Grey Parrot.
A group of parrots has many collective nouns, including a "company", "pandemonium", "prattle", and "psittacosis" of parrots.

The Yellow-headed Parrot is an Endangered species. Its numbers are so small that further declines in total counts are anticipated. Its preferred habitat is dense thorn forests, grasslands and woodlands. It is a native of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras and in each area it faces challenges for a number of reasons. In Mexico and Belize the species is illegally captured and exported to pet markets. Also in Belize the birds are frequently punished for causing crop damage and in all areas habitat loss is an ongoing issue. Current estimates place the world population at only 7,000 individuals.