Amazona aestiva (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name and Base Appearance

The blue-fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva) is a primarily green parrot, measuring approximately 38 cm (15 inches) in length.

Head Markings

It has blue feathers on the forehead above its beak, and yellow feathers on its face and crown. The pattern and spread of these blue and yellow markings varies widely between individual birds.

Beak Trait

Unlike most other Amazona parrots, the blue-fronted amazon's beak is mostly black.

Sexual Dimorphism (Human Vision)

To the human eye, there is no obvious sexual dimorphism between males and females.

Sexual Dimorphism (Tetrachromatic Vision)

However, when feather plumage is analyzed with spectrometry, a technique that shows plumage as it would be seen by a parrot's tetrachromatic vision, clear plumage differences between the sexes are visible.

Juvenile Traits

Juvenile blue-fronted amazons have duller plumage and dark irises.

Native Range

The native range of the blue-fronted amazon covers eastern and northern Bolivia, eastern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

Native Habitat

This species inhabits forests (though it generally avoids large continuous humid forests like the Amazon), as well as woodland, savanna, and palm groves.

Feral Breeding Populations

A small feral breeding population is established in greener areas of Stuttgart, Germany, and Genoa, Italy.

Puerto Rico Occurrence

While blue-fronted amazons have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, these individuals are most likely escaped pets, and no breeding has been recorded there.