Not one of the more commonly seen parrots in California, these birds occur in few numbers. They are found within the mixed parrot species flock. Their numbers appear to be sustained by repeated escapes and by individuals that are long-lived. Breeding evidence has only been reported once in the San Gabriel Valley (Mabb 2002).
Orange County has documented a small population of 14, all of which are being observed and monitored individually. Breeding evidence has been documented in Orange County (Bowles/Erickson 2007, pers. obs.).
Distribution in California: Mainly Los Angeles basin, San Gabriel Valley, and urban Orange County.
Habitat in California: Residential and surburban areas.
Other Naturalized Locations:
None noted.
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Blue-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) |
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Native Range and Habitat: Inland eastern Brazil, south from Pernambuco and southern Para, to Paraguay, northern and eastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina, south to Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, and Misiones, or (extralimitally) to northern Buenos Aires.
Wooded habitats, including humid subtropical forest, deciduous chaco or cerrado woodlands, gallery woodland along seasonal watercourses in dry caatinga scrubland or open savannah, pantanal with palm groves, and remnant woodlots in cultivation or pasturelands; visits orchards or plantations, and often in or near towns and villages. (Forshaw 2006)
STATUS:
Least Concern -- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
CITES Appendix II. This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 4,200,000 km 2 . The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as 'abundant' in at least parts of its range (del Hoyo et al . 1997). Global population trends have not been quantified; there is evidence of a population decline (del Hoyo et al . 1997), but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (BirdLife International)
For more information, visit the Blue-fronted Amazon - BirdLife Species Factsheet published by BirdLife International.
Description: Green overall; feathers faintly edged with black; variable head coloring (some may exhibit little to no blue); forehead and lores blue; front of crown, eye area, sometimes ear-coverts and thighs yellow; lower cheeks and chin green, blue or yellow; bend of wing red, sometimes with scattering of yellow feathers; edge of wing yellowish-green; primaries and primary-coverts with blue tips; red wing-speculum on outer five secondaries; tail green with greenish-yellow tips; base of outer feathers red; eye-ring whitish to grey; beak dark grey to black; iris orange; feet grey. Immatures with less colorful plumage; iris dark.
Average Length: 14.5 inches
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