Cuban Amazon - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Rose-throated Parrot; Cuban Parrot

Two views of subspecies leucocephala. Photo © by THE_FERN. Refugio de Fauna Bermeja, Matanzas, Cuba, April 2024

Amazona leucocephala

Identification

28–33cm

• Green
• Blue in wings
• Pink chin, throat and lower face
• Dull red belly
• White forehead and eyerings
• Horn bill
• Head colour varies according to subspecies
  

Juvenile

• No red on belly
• Less pink on chin, face and neck

Distribution

Cuba, Bahamas and Cayman Islands.

Taxonomy

Clements recognizes these subspecies[1]:

• A.l. leucocephala in Cuba and Isle of Pines
• A.l. caymanensis in Grand Cayman Island
• A.l. hesterna in Cayman Brac
• A.l. bahamensis in the Bahamas

A recent paper describes two new subspecies, splitting bahamensis in three[3].

Subspecies caymanensis
Photo by Ron Orenstein
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, February 2004

Subspecies bahamensis
Photo by Pluvius
Abacos, Bahamas, March 2010

Habitat

Scrub and pine forests; subtropical, semi deciduous dry forests.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes seeds and fruit.

Breeding

They nest in tree holes, except on Abaco in the Bahamas, where nesting happens in hollows in Limestone. The 2-4 white eggs are incubated by the female for 26–28 days.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Birdforum thread discussing additional subspecies in Cuban Parrot
4. Raffaele et al. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713649054
5. Wikipedia
6. Collar, N., Boesman, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2016). Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cuban Amazon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cuban_Amazon

External Links

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