|
Although
the yellow-faced Amazon ranges mainly through eastern and
central Brazil, the small green birds have been sighted just
north of Paraguay.
Captive
young are particularly engaging and take great pleasure in
investigating anything new in their aviary. Young yellow-faced
seem friendly and docile, but as they begin to mature, they
become more aggressive. In captivity the little birds can
be quite hostile towards their own kind.
Amazon Rescue
In the
1980s I was offered a group of yellow-faced Amazons by a friend
in Switzerland. Their gender was unknown, so the birds were
kept in separate enclosures because of their aggressive behavior.
An unknown and ill-informed person had clipped their wings
so severely that none of the birds could fly and their feathers
would never grow again.
After
I'd retrieved the Amazons, it became evident that we would
have to construct special flights for them. None of us could
stand the sickening thud that followed their every attempt
at takeoff. It was impossible to explain to the impaired birds
that even whey they were startled or surprised, they must
resist their natural reaction to fly away.
The enclosures
we built for the yellow-faced were 8 feet long, 3 feet wide
and only 2 feet 3 inches high. These -- together with our
great care to avoid any surprise appearances -- helped to
stabilize the birds and enable their confidence to develop.
Marriage Counseling
Eventually
we established their gender. Both males and females were often
over-zealous with each other so it took time to establish
pairs. This was aided by the acquisition of a few more youngsters
that were flighted, meaning only a few feathers were slightly
trimmed from one wing to make flight more difficult. This
slowed down the young birds in case they should become aggressive.
During
this period we used vegetable dye to separate individuals
so that behaviors could be studied as we tried to make up
compatible pairs. The behavioral problems caused us concern
because of the constant bickering even between selected pairs.
Each female
was placed in a sizable outdoor aviary occupied by a rowdy
group of juvenile macaws and large Amazons. This proved to
be a great leveler because the youngsters had no fear of the
smaller yellow-faced which were pushed aside by an unceremonious
nudge. The female yellow-faced learned to tolerate the affable
roughhousing of the larger birds.
When the
males were eventually brought into the enclosure in a cage,
all aggression in the females disappeared. The yellow-faced
females could not get close enough to their own species. Encouragement
from the caged males was evident.
Once introduced
into their own flight, all was well, and it was a great relief
to finally establish compatibility.
Nesting
In the
wild these parrots nest in termite mounds on the ground. In
captivity the usual wooden nest box is readily accepted. If
the nest is lined with soft or rotting bits of wood secured
in the internal angles, the pair will derive endless pleasure
from reducing it to crumbs. By whittling away they will reduce
the timber to a soft bedding material, and this activity appears
to stimulate the pair. We must remember what good wood spoilers
parrots can be when we construct a nesting box.
The entrance
to the nest box should be reinforced, otherwise the hole could
become so enlarged that too much light enters the nest chamber.
This situation may lead the hen to abandon the nest.
Diet
We try
to provide the best possible food for all our captive parrots.
Fresh carrots, beetroot and apple are diced together to prevent
waste. This combination makes up 50 percent of the mixture.
The remaining half consists of mixed pulses -- the edible
seeds of pod plants -- and seeds which are germinated before
use.
We regularly
supply green prunings from nonpoisonous trees for the birds
to play with and chew. The therapeutic activity this offers
is quite beneficial.
Today's
man-made diets are acceptable, but beware of offering a diet
too high in protein to these delightful small parrots. We
have seen gout debilitate a couple of females, so great care
should be exercised to avoid this malady.
Given
a choice we find these parrots will consume a great variety
of fruits, and it is a pleasure to watch them feeding with
relish.
Unique Chromosomes
Having
kept this challenging species for several years, I have grown
to admire their character and inquisitive and fearless behavior.
Yellow-faced Amazons are very different from the other 26
species of Amazons that we have bred. Cancer research specialist
Marc Valentine suggests that xanthrops falls into another
classification. Yellow-faced chromosomes differ substantially
from those of other Amazon species and share several features
with those of Pionus species.
In our
1998 breeding season, we produced a fourth generation of xanthrops.
The parents were 4 years old, unrelated, but bred in our collection.
The incubation was 23 to 24 days. We were especially happy
that the parents raised their own three youngsters from the
three eggs laid.
This pair
was close-banded while in the nest, as were their offspring.
Banding ensures that we can offer unrelated stock to fellow
aviculturists.
After
a young bird has enjoyed some family experience in the company
of its parents, it is a joy to see the entire family taking
a bath when the sprinkler system is activated. We must endeavor
to select unrelated stock to pair our yellow-faced Amazons,
before they develop their tenacious character.
John Stoodley and his wife, Pat, live in the United Kingdom.
They have concentrated on parrots of the new world since 1973
and have authored three books.
|
www.birdtimes.com
