Puerto Rican Parrot PDF

Puerto Rican Parrot
“Amazona Vittata”

When Christopher Columbus sailed
into the Caribbean island known now
as Puerto Rico, he was greeted by
the Taíno inhabitants and thousands
of green parrots names by the taínos
“Higuaca”. The parrots nested in
cavities of large trees that were
plentiful throughout the forests.
Today, there are less than thirty
Puerto Rican parrots living in the
wild on the island.

The Caribbean National Forest, known locally as El
Yunque, is the remaining forest habitat where the
few surviving parrots are able to find cavities for
nesting. They nest around February and March
until June. It’s scientific name is Amazona Vittata,
and it’s size ranges from 11-12 inches. As you can
tell in the pictures, it’s a bright green bird with a
red forehead, a white ring around the eye, and blue
primary feathers.

Of the three parrot species that inhabited
U.S. territory at the turn of the twentieth
century, all but one, the Puerto Rican Parrot
became extinct by the 1940’s. The decline of
the parrot is due to the rise in human
population. Loss of habitat by deforestation is
the main reason for them becoming
endangered.



Male and female parrots look exactly alike. In fact, the only
way to distinguish between the two is through DNA testing
or by observing their behavior during breeding season.
Their diet consists mainly of wild fruits. They can also eat
leaves, bark, nectar, flowers, and seeds.




Sexual maturity is reached at about 4 years of age. They will mate
for life. They reproduce once a year. The female lays 3-4 eggs and
incubates them for 24-28 days. After the eggs hatch, the chicks
will fledge from 60-65 days.

Predators include red-tailed hawks, falcons, and mongooses. The red-tailed hawk is the most common
hawk species in North America. It is well known for its reddish-brown tail. The mongoose is a small
rodent-like animal found naturally in most parts of Africa and in parts of southern Asia and Europe. A
falcon is a medium-size raptor bird. Falcons, one of the fastest predators, use a variety of techniques to
seek, attack and kill prey.