Red Lored Amazon General Info

Often called the Amazon’s prettiest bird, the Red Lored Amazons are one of the most popular and interesting pet parrots. This colorful bird is loved worldwide and cherished for its personality traits. They are affectionate, social and very intelligent birds, and will not hesitate to show off their newly learned tricks and mimics. Red Lored Amazon can be the perfect family pet due to their kind and friendly personalities. Like all the Amazon parrots, they too have a very long lifespan and a renowned ability to mimic human speech.

These kind, affectionate and goofy parrots are sure to become the family’s favorite pet.

Native Region/Natural Habitat

The natural home of these parrots is in Central America’s tropical regions, covering parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Preferring humid forests, dense woodland, and mangrove brush land, the Red Lored Amazons live in flocks of up to a hundred birds. Even though they are not a threatened breed, they are affected in Mexico and Venezuela, due to excessive trapping and illegal hunting

Overall Description

Unlike most of their cousins, these are medium-sized birds, with an average length of about 13 inches (34 centimeters). These Amazon parrots don’t have long tails like, for example, Macaws do. Instead, their short, rounded tails provide an overall stubby, robust figure. While they might not be as large as other popular parrots, they still require a lot of room for exercise, and a large, spacious cage with plenty of swings or perches.

Speech and Sounds

There are a few facts to keep in mind when looking for an Amazon pet parrot. At times they can be quite noisy, signaling with a loud caw. But most of the time they will display their remarkable ability to mimic. They love to pretend they’re talking or that they are a part of your conversation. The result is a silly mumbling that leaves no one without a smile. They can also develop a small vocabulary of words they learn to repeat in their clear, loud voices. Laughing, beeps, and alarms are usually the first things they learn and repeat.

Colors

These tropical parrots have a striking and unusual beauty. Their plumage is mostly green, but there are a lot of details that give it a unique look. The forehead is bright red, giving them their name, while the cheeks are yellow. There’s a bit of blue just on top of their head. The underside of the wings is a striking mix of red, green and blue, making for a spectacular display of colors when they are flying.

Their beautiful and exotic plumage has earned them the reputation of being the prettiest parrot of the Amazon.

Care and Feeding

The usual store-bought commercial seed and pellet mixes will do just fine as a base of their diet. Most of them contain millet, sunflower and oats seeds that the Red Lored Amazon will love. However, you will need to supplement it with plenty of fresh fruits, nuts, berries and green vegetables. This will ensure a varied and balanced diet with a right amount of proteins and vitamins.

The Red Lored Amazons are known to love baths. Offer large bathing dishes or simply take them with you to the shower. A clean and cared for parrot is less prone to disease.

Health and Common Conditions

There are a couple of things you should take care of, to ensure your Red Lored Amazon will remain strong and healthy. Besides the balanced diet, optimal conditions and enough social interaction, you will need to provide a lot of room. They must exercise and move about, so you should let them out of the cage for most of the day. They love to explore around the house or follow you around, eager to play or cuddle.

Remember to provide a lot of attention, a lot of space and good hygiene, and you will have no issues with your pet Amazon.

Personality & Behavior

These are one of the friendlier Amazon parrots, and they are very sociable. They are quick to adapt and bond with people and will love to play. They quickly become the center of attention with their goofs and silly tricks. However, you should know that Red Lored Amazons require a big commitment, as these birds have an incredible lifespan of up to 80 years! This makes them an excellent choice for companion parrots, but it also means that you’ll need to make a plan for their lifelong care- after all, there is a high chance this pet will outlive you.

Photo credit: Stefano Ianiro/Shutterstock; tristan tan/Shutterstock; Jeff W. Jarrett/Shutterstock