Yellow-crowned Parrot

1 Yellow-crowned Parrot Breed Overview

The Yellow-crowned Parrot is a very intelligent Amazon parrot with four subspecies. It looks plain and is fairly cheap, but has excellent talking ability; captive-bred birds are tame and interact frequently with owners, though most on the market are wild-caught.

Chinese name: Yellow-crowned Parrot

Other Chinese names: Yellow-crowned Amazon

English name: Yellow-crowned Parrot

Binomial name: Amazona ochrocephala

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Aves

Subclass: Neornithes

Order: Psittaciformes

Family: Psittacidae

Genus: Amazona

Subspecies: 4

Distribution: Central America

2 Physical Characteristics of the Yellow-crowned Parrot

The Yellow-crowned Parrot is about the size of the Double Yellow-headed Amazon, but less colorful. An adult is about 35 cm long and ideally weighs 380-500 g.

Most of its plumage is green. The iris is orange, the bill black, and yellow crowns its head (the yellow on top is called the ‘cap’). There are red touches at the wing bend, and yellow-green feather edges. The primaries and secondaries are violet-blue, on the feather vanes and wing tips.

3 Yellow-crowned Parrot Habitat

Its beautiful looks and cheerful character win many fans; being smart, it loves to learn human speech, charming many beginners. How to set up its environment?

The cage should be square or rectangular, not round, which can twist the neck. Bars must be sturdy so it cannot chew through. The door should be large for easy entry and exit. These parrots easily learn to open doors, so a lock may be needed.

Choose cage size by the bird’s size; if it rarely leaves the cage, bigger is better. Bar spacing at least 7/8 to 1 inch, but ensure the head cannot pass through. Since it climbs the bars often, ensure no lead or toxic materials.

Parrots naturally bathe; bathing cleans feathers and removes bacteria, preventing disease. Reduce baths in cold seasons; bathe indoors above 20 C but mind room and water temperature to avoid chills. A round ceramic ashtray can serve as a bath; remove the bird after. Chicks and sick birds should not bathe. In warm winter rooms, mist with a small sprayer briefly. Besides water baths, sand baths: a sand tray twice weekly, replaced regularly.

4 Yellow-crowned Parrot Care

The Yellow-crowned Parrot is active, hardy, adapts quickly, loves chewing and bathing, and accepts fresh branches; outside breeding it can be kept with other Amazons, but pairs are ideal.

Its price is lower than many Amazons, making a good pet; hand-reared youngsters talk well and interact highly, like most Amazons, but few are captive-bred, so youngsters (local or imported) are uncommon on the market.

Pairs breed better; breeding usually starts in April, with aggression, especially the male defending the nest, sometimes attacking the female or chicks. Avoid disturbance; 2-4 eggs per clutch, incubation 26-28 days, fledging at 2 months.