Tucuman Amazon Parrot Parrots - breeding - pet

Tucumán Amazon
Amazona tucumana

Description: General description all feathers green with black edges except for wings; front of the crown red feathers; thighs partly orange-yellow; underside of wings olive green; tail upper side green with yellow-greenish tips; whitish periophtalmic ring; bill horn coloured; iris orange-yellow; feet brownish-grey.

Length:approximately 10 inches

Origination: South America - Argentina especially the province of Tucumán and the South east; also found in parts of Bolivia. Although this was a popular import some years ago this species is now becoming increasingly rare in the wild; and listed amongst the endangered species.

Temperament: Noisy, shy and wild, call shrill and higher pitched than most other Amazons. Hand-reared parrots still make excellent pets and become good talkers.

Diet: Normally fruit, seeds and nuts will forage in trees in the wild. In captivity a good seed mix of safflower; wheat' oats, canary grass seed and various millet. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Breeding in captivity: Nest box needs to be 30 x 30 x 50 cm (12 x 12 x 20 ins) with an entrance hole of 10 cm (4 ins) in diameter. Pairs must be isolated for success; breeding pairs are extremely aggressive towards other birds and even their bird keeper. Expect breeding to commence in early May. Clutches range from 3 to 4 eggs; incubation is 23-25 days; fledging period is 50-60 days. The parents will feed their young up to 10 weeks, but when hand-reared they are usually quicker to wean.

As Pets the Tucumán Amazons are very difficult to obtain, as the wild ones have now become endangered due to logging and trading.