Black-billed amazon

The black-billed amazon (Amazona agilis) is a parrot endemic to Jamaica. Sometimes called the black-billed parrot, this amazon parrot is mostly green with small patches of red on the wing and sometimes flecked on the head. Its bill makes it easy to separate from most other amazons, including the yellow-billed amazon, which also lives in Jamaica. It is the smallest Amazona parrot at 25 cm (10 in).[2]

Black-billed amazon
In Cockpit Country, Jamaica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Amazona
Species:
A. agilis
Binomial name
Amazona agilis
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms

Psittacus agilis Linnaeus, 1758

Description
At Vienna Zoo, Austria

This parrot is smaller than the yellow-billed amazon and measures between 10.5 and 11.5 inches (27 and 29 centimetres). In males, the bill is very dark grey, almost black, becoming paler towards the base. The cere is very dark grey, as is the skin around the eyes, and the iris is dark brown. This bird's plumage is predominantly green, paler and more yellowish on the underparts. The feathers of the neck are edged with dusky black. Ear-coverts are blackish and primary coverts are red. Primaries are violet-blue and black, secondaries are blue at the tips, becoming green towards the base. The tail is mostly green and lateral feathers are marked with red, while outer feathers are margined with blue. The feet are greyish-green.[3]

Females are similar to males but with some primary coverts green instead of red.[4]

Habitat

The Black-billed Amazons live in mountainous rainforest, usually limestone rainforest, feeding on fruit, seeds, and nuts, and will take cultivated fruit like mangos, papayas and cucumbers as well as wild fruits.

Population

The black-billed amazon was once as common as the yellow-billed amazon, but has become much rarer due to deforestation and hurricane damage fragmenting its forest, poaching for food and the pet trade in wild parrots.

Call

The black-billed amazon's call is bugling while in flight however, while perched it growls and rumbles. Often its calls tend to be sharp and screechy.[5]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2020). "Amazona agilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Black-billed Amazon (Amazona agilis) - BirdLife species factsheet". Birdlife.org. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  3. Bernal, Frank (1989). Birds of Jamaica. Jamaica: Heinemann Publishers (Caribbean) Ltd. p. 56.
  4. "Black-billed Amazon". World Parrot Trust. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  5. "Black-billed Amazon". World Parrot Trust. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  • del Hoyo,J., Elliot, A., Sargatal, J., eds (1992) Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 4, Sandgrouse to Cuckoos, ISBN 84-87334-22-9
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