
Red-lored Amazon (Red-lored Parrot)
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Psittaciformes, Family: Psittacidae, Genus: Amazona, Species: Amazona autumnalis
Family: Psittacidae (True Parrots)
- Shape
- Slightly asymmetrical vane with a broad, rounded distal tip and minor distal curvature typical of inner secondary feathers
- Size
- Approximately 10 to 12 cm (4 to 4.5 inches) long, consistent with mid-to-inner secondary flight feathers of medium-sized Amazona parrots
- Rarity
- Common to locally abundant in suitable forest habitats across Panama, particularly well-known around Soberanía National Park and Gamboa
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Description
The Red-lored Amazon is a medium-sized green parrot featuring bright red forehead patches, yellow cheeks, and vibrant secondary wing feathers. It flies with rapid, shallow wingbeats and is frequently seen in pairs or noisy roosting flocks calling loudly at dawn and dusk.
Colour & Pattern
Vibrant emerald to parrot-green on the outer vane, with dark dusky grey to blackish suffusion on the inner vane, transitioning into a bright yellow patch near the base
Barb Structure
Fully pennaceous and tightly interlocked structure along the main vane, transitioning to a brief plumulaceous, downy section near the calamus base
Texture & Surface
Smooth, firm, and slightly glossy texture with durable, tightly locked barbules that provide structural integrity during flight
Key Features
Rich grass-green coloration paired with a dark greyish inner vane zone and a clear pale yellow base on the proximal barbs, built on a robust parrot-type secondary feather shape
Habitat
Humid lowland tropical forests, rainforest edges, semi-open woodlands, mangrove swamps, and mature secondary growth around river corridors like the Chagres River in Gamboa
Geographic Range
Neotropics, extending from eastern Mexico through Central America (including Panama) to northwestern South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela)
Ecological Role
Acts as a primary seed predator and disperser for various canopy trees and palms, serving as an important canopy seed processor in Neotropical rainforest ecosystems.
Similar Species
Mealy Amazon (Amazona farinosa) feathers are larger and paler green; Yellow-crowned Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala) feathers show subtle differences in base yellow extent and secondary color bands.
Interesting Facts
Amazona parrots display structural coloration where blue light is scattered by microstructures within the feather barbs and filtered by yellow carotenoids to produce vivid green shades.
Condition Notes
Good condition; structural pennaceous vane is intact with minimal split barbs or wear, typical of a naturally shed, molted flight feather
Notes
Found in Gamboa, Panama