Amazon Parrots: Bold, Loud and Long-Lived

Think Hard Before You Buy

There are around 30 Amazon species, and the popular pet ones include the blue-fronted, orange-winged, yellow-naped and double yellow-headed Amazons. They are confident, outgoing birds that love to be the center of attention.

Big Personalities, Big Voices

Most Amazons greet the morning and the evening with loud calls, and some shriek when they want attention. This is natural flock behavior and can't be trained away completely.

Many Amazons, especially mature males, become hormonal in the breeding season: more vocal, more territorial and quicker to bite. Owners need to read body language and give the bird space. Amazons also tend to put on weight, so diet and exercise matter.

What They Need Every Day

• Company: several hours a day of interaction and play.
• Space: the Merck Veterinary Manual suggests a cage of at least 40 × 30 × 60 inches (102 × 76 × 152 cm), with bars about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) apart, plus daily time out of the cage to climb and fly.
• Exercise: climbing, flapping and flying time every day.
• Diet: a formulated pellet base with plenty of vegetables; keep seeds and nuts as treats, as your avian vet advises.
• Chewing: a steady supply of wooden and shreddable toys for a strong beak.

See bird cages and stands, foraging and seed vs pellet diets for the details.

CITES and the Law

All Amazon parrots are listed under CITES, most on Appendix II. Several, including the yellow-naped, double yellow-headed, red-tailed and Cuban Amazons, are on Appendix I, the highest level of protection. Listings change, so check the exact species.

• Great Britain: species listed in CITES Appendix I are generally treated as Annex A under wildlife trade rules, and buying, selling or commercially displaying them usually needs an Article 10 certificate from APHA. Ask to see the certificate and check its ring or microchip number matches the bird.
• United States: the Wild Bird Conservation Act restricts importing many wild parrot species, and some species are also covered by the Endangered Species Act, which can restrict sales across state lines. Check with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Elsewhere: check with your national CITES authority before buying, selling or moving a bird abroad.

Rules differ by country and by species. Check a species' current listing on the CITES Species+ database, and ask your national authority (APHA in Great Britain, the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the US, or your country's CITES management authority) before buying, selling or traveling.

If You're Still Serious

1. Spend time with the species first: volunteer at a parrot rescue or visit an experienced keeper, at the noisy times of day as well as the quiet ones.
2. Consider adopting: parrot rescues often have Amazons looking for homes, and can match you with a bird whose personality suits you.
3. Find an avian vet before the bird arrives; see finding a vet.
4. Plan for the long term: who will care for the bird if you can't, and how that will be paid for.
5. Buy only with paperwork: a closed ring or microchip, captive-breeding records and, where needed, the right certificates.

If this all sounds like too much, that's a good answer. A cockatiel, conure or parrotlet gives a lot of parrot personality with fewer decades and decibels.