Alternative name: Rose-throated Parrot; Cuban Parrot
- 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].
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
- 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/
- 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/
- Birdforum thread discussing additional subspecies in Cuban Parrot
- Raffaele et al. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713649054
- Wikipedia
- 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.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cuban Amazon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cuban_Amazon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1