Red-crowned Parrot, Amazona viridigenalis

Red-crowned Parrot, Amazona viridigenalis. Photograph taken of a bird in captivity in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, December 2019. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

The Red-crowned Parrot, Amazona viridigenalis, is a member of the Psittacidae Family of New World and African Parrots. They are fairly large in stature. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope within the States of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, and Veracruz at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 feet). Feral populations, that originated from pet releases or escapees, have been established in Baja California, Coahuila and Zacatecas. From a conservation perspective the Red-crowned Parrot is currently considered to be ENDANGERED with populations in the wild now estimated to be less than 2,000 due to loss of habitat and large consumption by the Pet Trade. They are found in lowland forested areas. They consume fruits, nuts and seeds. They are known to nest in tree cavities.