Amazon Parrots are all
New World species occurring in Central and South America, Mexico,
and many Caribbean Islands. Prior to October 1993, when commercial
importation of wild-caught birds into the United States came to
a halt, many thousands of hand-feeding baby Amazons were imported
annually. With this huge influx of imported baby birds to satisfy
the pet market, there was very little incentive for U.S. aviculturists
to work with the more common species in an earnest effort to breed
them. Now that this supply of babies as wall as adult breeding
stock is no longer being imported, it is imperative that aviculturists
work with the common as well as the rare Amazon species to establish
captive self-sustaining populations. Although the Amazon parrots
can be a bit of a challenge to breed, the rewards of working with
Amazons are great.
Factors that contribute
to the success or failure in breeding Amazons include age, health
and compatibility of breeding stock, caging, type of nestbox provided,
diet, climate, and aviary management. Amazons are not exceedingly
picky about exact conditions for breeding and have been known
to reproduce in a number of varying situations. However, there
are some conditions that can be manipulated that can perhaps afford
a better chance for success.
Choosing breeding stock
is of utmost importance. Although it is tempting to purchase proven
pairs, this is not always the most prudent thing to do. Certainly
there are some really good proven pairs offered for sale from
time to time. Just as often, an aviculturist will sell a pair
that is indeed proven but has been producing well for several
years and has now slowed in production or has developed bad habits
such as breaking eggs or killing chicks. Be sure you can trust
the seller of a proven pair and always ask for as complete a history
on the birds as is possible to obtain. In previous years, most
pairs set up for breeding were wild-caught adult stock of usually
unknown age and history. We had no way of knowing if a particular
bird had been pair-bonded in the wild and if it had ever bred
before. Such birds often took years to settle down and repair
in captivity. Today there are domestic, unrelated birds available
in all of the more common species as well as many of the rarer
ones. Many Amazon specialists such as John & Pat Stoodley
in the U.K. and Jim Murphy in Washington State in the U.S. have
bred Amazons to several generations. We are finding that domestic
birds are breeding quite well in captivity. In general, domestic
birds have the advantage of usually being of known age. Young
domestic birds are full of eggs and will have a long breeding
future ahead of them. Amazons are naturally quite excitable and
aggressive. Caution should be exercised when introducing two birds
as aggression is a possibility. It is best to house the birds
in adjoining cages for a while and then put them into the intended
breeding cage at the same time. Thus neither bird has a chance
to achieve prior dominance in the breeding cage. Domestic birds
can be introduced at a young age to reduce the chances of aggression.
It is always a good idea to have any prospective breeding stock
seen by an avian veterinarian. Birds should be screened for bacterial
infections, psittacosis, vitamin A deficiency, and other tests
that your veterinarian might recommend.
Amazons will breed in
a variety of cage sizes and configurations. There are cases of
two pet birds breeding in a small pet cage ranging to birds breeding
in very large flights. Since Amazons tend towards obesity in captivity,
providing a large enclosure where flight is possible and encouraged
will result in better conditioned and healthier birds. Many aviculturists
use suspended flights for Amazon breeding. A suspended flight
with dimensions of six to twelve feet long, three to four feet
wide, and three feet high is sufficient for most Amazons. The
suspended cage should be as high off the ground as is possible
as the birds are less nervous and more likely to breed if perches
are above human eye level. Whatever the cage size, I feel one
of the most important aspects of caging is to separate Amazon
pairs from sight of other Amazon pairs. Pairs became very vocal
during breeding season and these calls might serve to bring other
pairs into breeding condition so within hearing distance is probably
beneficial. Pairs housed side by side without sight barriers will
often become overly aggressive and could cause fighting in the
pairs. Aluminum sheeting is ideal for separating adjoining cages.
I recommend that nestboxes
be constructed of wood. I do not like metal nestboxes as they
are too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. I think
chewing of the wooden box prompts the birds to breed. Although
the nestbox will have to be replaced periodically, I still prefer
to use wood. Using thick plywood to construct the box, will reduce
somewhat the frequency that the nest box will be to be replaced.
A box with dimensions of twelve inches by twelve inches and two
to three feet tall is appropriate for all but the largest Amazon
species. Increase the dimensions by one or two inches for the
largest species. An entry hole should be located high on the box
and should be four inches in diameter for most of the species
and five inches for the largest species. Pine shavings several
inches deep should be placed inside the box. An inspection hole
on the nestbox rear should be located a few inches above the top
of the shavings. The nestbox should be hung as high as is possible
in the flight. If hung on the outside of the cage, the box will
last longer as the pair will chew the box less
In my opinion, the diet
fed to breeding Amazons is the most important factor in their
management. Amazons in the wild do a great deal of flying, usually
in large flocks over great distances. A few years ago I was fortunate
to observe a mixed flock of large Amazons flying quite high at
daybreak on the east coast of Costa Rica . Several hundred birds
flew over heading south. They were flying so high that I could
not identify the species but I think they were Salvin's Red-lored
and Blue-Crowned Amazons. An innkeeper told me they were flying
south to raid crop fields near the Panamanian border which was
quite a distance away. They flew back the opposite way in the
late afternoon and did so daily according to the innkeeper. Flying
such a distance to feed obviously would keep a wild Amazon in
tip-top shape without any excess fat. In captivity, not only do
we bird keepers deliver the food to the birds' door, we often
provide a diet that is much richer and that contains more fat
than the natural diet of the species. This results in an obese
bird with markedly reduced chances for breeding. In their native
habitats, Amazon Parrots not only raid farmers' fields but also
eat a large variety of seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, leaf buds,
flower blossoms, and other natural foods in great variety. Of
course we cannot duplicate a natural diet, but we can provide
a diet that is rich in variety and full of fresh foodstuffs that
are as natural as possible. Many people feed their Amazons a dry
pellet diet with some additional vegetables or fruits and feel
this is sufficient. In my opinion it is far better to feed a diet
based on grains, vegetables, and sprouts. Our diet does contain
some pelleted food also, but only as one ingredient of many. It
takes a little more work to prepare this fresh diet but the results
are worth it and we owe it to our birds to give them the best
diet that we can provide. We use a variety of grains and pulses
including red wheat, brown rice, lentils, corn and several types
of beans and peas. These are boiled for about thirty minutes and
then allowed to cool. To this we add a variety of fresh fruits
and vegetables that are in season. These include corn on the cob,
broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans and peas in their
hulls, squash, kale and other leafy greens, apples, oranges, melons,
papaya, grapes, and plums. We boil root vegetables such as carrots,
beet root, sweet potatoes, and yams and add these chopped after
they are cool. These roots contain a lot of carotene which is
very important in the Amazon diet to prevent vitamin A deficiency.
Another important addition to the Amazon diet is sprouted seeds.
We use a sprouting kit produced by China Prairie Farm of Garberville,
California which provides a large variety of seeds, an additive
for the sprouting water that will retard spoilage and fungal contamination,
and a powdered vitamin/mineral additive that contains eighty-eight
trace minerals and is colored green from the spirulina blue-green
algae that it contains. The birds love these succulent sprouts
and they provide excellent nutrition as well as the variety that
these intelligent birds need to prevent boredom with their diet.
A pelleted avian diet of your choice can be added to this mix
of grains, vegetables, fruits, and sprouts for a balanced and
interesting repast. Occasional feedings of cracked nuts in their
shells will be enjoyed by Amazons but should not be fed on a daily
basis. Amazons need to be monitored so that they do not become
obese as this will lessen chances for breeding success.
There is not much we
can do to change the climate or weather that can influence Amazon
breeding other than to move to a different climate. Most Amazon
species come from a tropical or subtropical climate and thus high
humidity and rain are elements in these birds' natural environment.
We can, however, use a misting system to afford these birds the
opportunity to bathe frequently as they do in nature. Artificial
lighting can be manipulated in indoor breeding situations that
can mimic the change in seasons. Gradually increased photoperiods
can bring the birds into breeding condition. I do not have much
experience with this technique as our Amazons are bred in outdoor
aviaries in Southern California. Our winters there are wet and
chilly and the summers are hot and very dry with little or no
rain and low humidity. Our birds are triggered by the spring rains
and the lengthening days and begin breeding in the early spring,
sometimes as early as February. Most species are finished laying
by early June. Clutch size varies with the species and the particular
pair but most average three eggs per clutch. If eggs are pulled
for artificial incubation, some pairs will lay two or more clutches
of eggs per season. For some reason my rarer species such as Amazona
xanthops (Yellow-faced Amazon) and Amazona collaria (Jamaican
Yellow-Billed Amazon) never double clutch. If eggs are pulled,
I recommend leaving them a full two weeks under the hen if possible
and putting the eggs into a quality incubator. This gives you
the best odds of success in hatching the eggs. Of course some
pairs will not sit well or will break or eat eggs so these should
be pulled immediately after laying. We often foster freshly laid
eggs under dependable setting hens for two weeks before removing
them for artificial incubation. The excitable Yellow-Napes are
prone to breaking their eggs and these are often fostered to calmer
Double Yellow-Headed hens. If eggs are set in an incubator at
day one, I recommend hand-turning them for the first few days
as vibrations from artificial turning devices can kill very young
embryos. We use a Petersime incubator and do not use the automatic
turner at all during incubation. All eggs are turned five times
a day and incubated at ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit. Incubation
is twenty-six to twenty-eight days for most species. Chicks are
relatively easy to hand-feed and grow quickly, fledging at about
eight weeks and weaning at thirteen to sixteen weeks of age. I
do not believe in pushing chicks into weaning and offer three
hand-feedings a day to weaning chicks. Fresh corn on the cob,
apple slices, cooked grains, sprouted seeds, pellets, and spray
millet are offered to the weaning chicks.
Management of the collection
is a big factor in long-term success. If a pair of birds just
does not seem to be compatible, consider repairing them. Many
successful Amazon breeders flock a group of prospective breeders,
allowing the birds to naturally choose a partner. If you do not
have the time or patience for this, try switching partners from
two nonproducing pairs. Be careful of aggression when repairing
Amazons! It is best to remove them all from the breeding cages
for a while and then introduce the new pair to their breeding
cage together. Do not be too hasty to separate a pair that do
not produce the first breeding season. If there is one thing I
have learned working with birds, it is patience. Pairs often take
a while to settle down and pair bond. Clear eggs are common with
new or young pairs. Give a new pair two or more breeding seasons
together before considering repairing them.
Working with Amazon
Parrots is very exciting and rewarding. There are many quite beautiful
and rare species available but it is important for aviculturists
to work with the more common species as well. Whatever Amazon
species you choose to work with, be assured that it will be an
exciting venture. There is a high degree of interaction between
Amazons and their keepers, many parrots learning to speak and
mimic sounds. I have a high level of attachment with my breeding
Amazons and have greatly enjoyed working with this challenging
and rewarding group of birds.
