Yellow-naped Amazon

The yellow-naped amazon is distinguished by its green forehead and crown and a yellow band across the lower nape (back part of neck) and hindneck. The eyes are orange, beak is dark gray and is paler towards the base of the upper mandible. The feet are also dark gray. Yellow-naped amazons inhabit dry forest and mangrove habitat of the tropics, and nest in naturally occurring cavities Although yellow-naped amazons will not excavate cavities, they will chew the entrance. The parrots will nest in a wide variety of trees, although dead Coyols (palm trees) are one preferred species. During the breeding season, pairs are monogamous, and pairs defend small breeding territories around the nest by duetting with their partners. Breeding success is low (89%), and the majority of nests fail due to poaching The vocal behavior of yellow-naped amazons has been more extensively studied than in any other wild parrot. Yellow-naped amazons, like all parrots, exhibit vocal learning behavior in the wild. This behavior manifests in the form of vocal dialects, in which the repertoire of calls that parrots vocalize change at discrete geographic boundaries, similar to how humans have different languages or dialects. These dialects also are meaningful to the parrots; they are less responsive to calls that are not their own dialect. …

It is found along the Pacific Coast from southern Mexico south to northern Costa Rica. Recent census efforts have indicated declining populations throughout much of the range, with reduced populations in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and vanishingly small populations in Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala (Dupin et al. 2020, Wright et al. 2018). The Mesoamerican Parrot Census Network, with support of the World Parrot Trust, has been engaging volunteers to assess the status of yellow-naped amazons across their range to assist with conservation.

In common with many parrot species, it feeds on nuts, berries, seeds, and fruit.