Yellow-crowned Amazon

The Yellow-crowned Amazon Amazona ochrocepha, also known as the Yellow-fronted Amazon, is a very well known bird and a popular pet. Like other Amazons, its general plumage is green with a forehead that is also green, but yielding to a yellow marking on the crown. The Yellow-crowned Amazon is one of several very similar Amazons with yellow on the head or neck. Sometimes it has been referred to as the Single Yellow-headed Amazon. This was to differentiate it from the Double Yellow-headed Amazon Amazona oratrix, whose entire head and nape becomes yellow. Another is the Yellow-naped Amazon Amazona auropalliata, whoses yellow markings are found only on the nape of the neck rather than the crown. This Yellow-crowned Amazon is even more easily confused with the Panama Amazon Amazona o. panamensis. The Panama is another member of the ochrocepha group and a subspecies of the Yellow-crowned. These two are very similar but the green plumage of the Panama is a bit darker shade, it is slightly smaller and doesn't have the reddish orange spot on the upper part of the beak which the Yellow-crowned parrot has. It can be difficult to tell any of these Amazon birds apart when they are juveniles. Their yellow markings develop slowly with each molt over a period of about four years. Besides color, there are some other differences between these parrots as well. They differ in such things as body size, temperament, and talking ability too. It's good to know which pet bird you get so you can know what to expect. The Yellow-fronted Amazon is a very fun, smart and affectionate parrot. These birds are quite intelligent so are easy to tame and train. They will quickly begin to mimic sounds and can become a very good talker. Being very social, they enjoy companionship and become fast friends with their owner. They are a very robust bird and do well in either a cage or an aviary. Yellow-fronted Amazons like interaction but are quite content to entertain themselves for hours at a time just playing with their toys. This is an active bird and needs plenty of toys. It also likes to climb, so adding a hanging perch mounted above a playpen is great.