Orange Winged Amazon Parrot

On first sight one could be forgiven for mistaking the Orange Winged Amazon Parrot for another species. This is because the characteristic orange feathers cannot be seen until its wings are spread in flight. It often opens them up when climbing to reveal its glorious plumage, but if you want a parrot that looks colorful you should look at another variety.

Mostly green, it has blue edges on its tail and a blue and yellow cap and cheeks. At 13 inches or 33 cm long and weighing up to 470 grams it is not a small parrot and will need access to an area at least ten feet in length to move around comfortably.

Orange Winged Amazon Parrots are very common in the Caribbean and South America where flocks of more than one hundred birds are often seen, at sunset, coming home to roost. Their large numbers have caused them to become a pest and for this reason there is little restriction on hunting.
Males and females look alike and caution is advised if you are particular about what gender you acquire. They can go through a temperamental and moody phase from the age of 5 until 16 or 17 years old and as the females are believed to be the more sedate it may be important to get the sex right.

It is also worth noting that the Orange Winged parrot mates for life so if you intend breeding this variety make sure you buy a young pair and keep them together. As with other parrots, they produce 3 or 4 eggs at a time but the fledglings leave the nest at around two months, a few weeks earlier than many other species of parrot.

Orange Winged Amazon Parrots tend to be robust healthy birds. The can live to for up to 60 years. They are prone to Vitamin A deficiency but a little attention to diet can easily avoid this.
They are very intelligent birds and are excellent talkers. They do however tend to be extremely loud and noisy. If moody or seeking attention they will scream, squawk, trill and whistle for hours. They can also be stubborn and therefore quite difficult to train. Training is essential however because they are destructive chewers and if you intend allowing them the use of a family room or area they must be taught not to chew on fabrics, furnishings and even electric cables.
If challenged they commonly use their sharp beaks and owners are often ‘nipped’.

Keep their diet varied as they become bored with their food. Their beaks and claws will need regular attention which they do not always appreciate so keep a lava block in their cage which will allow them to look after their beak and a concrete perch that will give them a good material to scratch their claws on.

Despite their temperament and loud high-pitched noise, Orange Winged Amazons are one of the most popular parrot species to be kept as domestic pets. Once they are over the hormonal ‘moody’ years they settle down and their expert talking and longevity make them a good constant companion in many households.