Alternative name: St. Lucia Amazon
- Amazona versicolor
Identification
42-46 cm long
his parrot is mostly green with bluish forehead, red crescent on the throat that to a variable degree is continued as a wash down the breast, and a red square on the wing that otherwise shows blue primaries.
Distribution
Endemic to St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
It is closely related to Red-necked Parrot of Dominica.
Habitat
Moist mountain forests, where it eats fruits, flowers, etc. Prefers native species, so that the large patch of non-native forest that otherwise looks good is not much help.
Conservations Concerns
Was reduced to about 100 birds in the 1970's by habitat destruction, hunting, and capture for the pet trade. A strong campaign aiming at making the population feel pride in their parrot has lead to a rebound, but the species is still considered critically endangered. A strong Hurricane could have devastating effects!
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes fruits, flowers and seeds of various native trees and shrubs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) St. Lucia Parrot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/St._Lucia_Parrot
