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Panama Amazon

Panama Yellow-headed Amazon Family: Psittacidae

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"Peppy" Amazona panamensis Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Cheryl Galloway

   The Panama Amazon, though rarer than the other popular amazons, is greatly admired for it's incredible talking ability!

   The Panama Amazon or Panama Yellow-fronted Amazon is quite intelligent, inquisitive, and affectionate. This makes it easy to tame and train. They will quickly begin to mimic sounds and become an excellent talker. Being very social, they enjoy companionship and become fast friends with their owner. They are a very robust bird and do well in either a cage or an aviary.

   The Panama Amazon is very similar to, and often confused with Yellow-crowned Amazon. The Panama Amazons are smaller and are a darker shade of green

For more information about the care of Amazon parrots see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Amazon Parrot.

Scientific Name:
Amazona panamensis
(previously: Amazona ochrocephala panamensis)

Distribution:
   The Panama Amazon or Panama Yellow-fronted Amazon is found in western Panama, and northwest Columbia. They inhabit open woodlands and tropical zones

Description:
    The Panama Amazon has an overall green coloring with red on the bend of the wing. The forehead and forecrown are yellow, making a triangular shaped patch. Above the eyes and bordering the yellow patch is bluish green.The beak is more of a bone coloring with gray on the upper part of the top mandible and the feet are light colored.   

Size - Weight:
   A smaller amazon, mature birds are about 13 inches (33 cm) long from the head to the tip of the tail.

Care and feeding:
    A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend a good deal of their time on a play pen or parrot perch.
    In the wild these birds eat fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, blossoms and possibly leaf buds, as well as foraging in corn fields. The Amazon's main diet should primarily be seeds, nuts, fruits, and green vegetables. A commercially prepared parrot mix or pelleted diet can also be beneficial.

   See About Amazon Parrots: Housing and About Amazon Parrots: Care and Feeding for more information.

Social Behaviors:
   Amazons enjoy human interaction as well as interaction with other birds. In the wild they are very social birds living in groups. They are seen either in pairs or flocks, from small groups to groups of several hundred birds. They also form permanent pairs when they are sexually mature.

   See About Amazon Parrots: Social Behaviors for information on developing a well rounded Amazon.

Activities:
    Loves to climb and play. Provide lots of toys. Also needs room to stretch its wings although climbing seems to be its favorite activity.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   These amazons can be bred in captivity. At the onset of warm weather (April to early May) courtship will begin. The hen will then lay up to three eggs which incubate for about 29 days. The young will leave the nest at 8-12 weeks. As with many parrots, the male will eat for both himself and the female while she incubates the eggs and feeds the young. The male regurgitates the food for the female to eat. He gets a lot less picky about what he eats at these times!

   See About Amazon Parrots: Breeding/Reproduction for more information on breeding.

Potential Problems:
  These birds are hardy and healthy if provided with a good environment and a good diet. Amazons can be noisy first thing in the morning, and just before the sun sets. This is easy to control, they can often be quieted by just covering their cage for a short period of time.

   See About Amazon Parrots: Potential Problems for information on health.

Availability: The Panama Amazons are harder to find than some of the other amazons, but are well worth the time and effort searching for them.

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Latest Comments
I adopted Rocky when he was about a year old and have had him for three years. He was a very frightened bird when he came to live with us but with a lot of patience and love he now trusts us and is very loving. Rocky is a Panama Amazon and everyone has said how talkative their bird is BUT Rocky has never tried to mimic any words. He can mimic the car alarm and he will occasionally laugh if we are laughing but he has never talked. We interact with him all day because we are retired and he gets a lot of attention but he doesn't seem interested in talking. He has free run of the house and will go all over the house. He loves young girls with blond hair and he doesn't like men at all. We love him and think he's great. We wonder if there anything we can try to get him to talk. We have tried treats and recorders and constantly repeating ourselves, but nothing has worked. We love him whether he talks or not, but everything we have read says they are great talkers. Anonymous 2008-05-16
My parrots name is dill. He just turned a year old this month. He is a very good talker. He loves to sing to oldies music. He has managed to learn everyone in the house's names and we live with 9 other people, 5 dogs, and two cats. Funny thing is my bird's name is dill but he calls me dilly O. But I still enjoy him and he says dilly O more than any other name, so I know I am his favorite. He loves to be held and hung upside down. He loves to cuddle and have his neck and back rubbed. I am so glad I got this bird. He was expensive but oh my gosh he was worth every penny. shana 2008-04-25
My Panama is named "Sam" (we are not sure if he is male or female). We got him at about 3 months. He is the sunshine in our day! He talks up a storm and laughs with everyone in the household. He learned to talk very young and continues to learn new words, phrases and even a song...."I feel Pretty". We are overjoyed with him. He is as kind as he is smart. He even sleeps with my husband every Saturday morning for an hour or two! He just snuggles up, rests his head on his arm and naps! He is not just a pet...but a member of our family! Michele Clatterbuck 2007-04-26
I have just been given one of these beautiful birds from a dear old friend who could no longer take care of her. Lydia is going to be 47 years old this year. My friends bought her around 1960 while they were being held hostage in Panama. They were in the military and Lydia has traveled around the world. This bird has a tremendous vocabulary and keeps us laughing. Angie from Rockport Texas. Angela Rivera 2007-04-04
Buddy is our red-headed Panama Amazon. He was mamed and has only one wing, so he doesn't fly. We adopted him after he was brutalized by Hilario, the former owner. He knows many naughty words in Spanish and he uses them at just the right time. He loves white process cheese, sunflower seeds, and he is extremely intelligent and affectionate. General Jim 2007-03-27

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Author: Clarice Brough, CAS.