White Fronted Amazon

[Wiesbaden11]

Hello all,

I have just joined this page and really looking forward to getting involved and reading about everyone's feathered friends.

I have a couple questions regarding my new buddy. I have had smaller birds (mostly conures and cockatiels) while growing up and haven't been able to have one in quite some time due to being enlisted in the Navy. I have really been wanting one and my wife and I have been looking around trying to decide what to end up getting and someone was trying to get rid of a white fronted amazon. According to who I got it from they said he is about 8 months and a male, but looking at him and doing some research he seems to be older (eyes are solid filled in red) and I am not seeing any red on it's shoulders like you typically see in the pictures and articles I've read online.

This bird has never been handled and the person I got the bird from was too scared of the bird biting to do almost any training with. The bird would just hangout in the back of the cage and open it's beak like it would bite or lunge whenver I had to change the water/food in it's cage. I've recently been doing sensitivity training with the bird using the "power pause" technique I read online and it seems to be working I was able to (just for a moment) yesterday touch it's beak before he got upset so that is going well.

I was just wondering if anyone had any specific advice on this breed of bird with the resources to be quite slim compared to those of it's larger cousins. Also, if anyone has any ideas how to give an estimated age/sex of this bird that would be great also.

I'm going to take him to the vet in the next week or so, but I wanted to get him used to people touching/being around it before scaring it any more then nessicary.


Thank you for all the input, glad to be part of the website.

Chris

[Dragonlady2]

Hi Chris and welcome to Precisely Parrots. What a beautiful bird you have. I would have to agree with you regarding it being a white- fronted. I'm off to do some research! It's good to take it to the vet for a check-up. Is the vet an avian vet? The vet may also be able to help you with the age.

To start with, you might just sit by his cage and read out loud to him. He will see you are not a threat. Try to entice him with a treat like an almond See if he will come towards you for the treat and I would start by giving the treat outside of the cage through the bars. Your poor bird is probably scared to death and is just trying to protect himself when he lunges. Time and patience are the key here.
We look forward to hearing about your bird....does it have a name?

[PlaxMacaws]

Hello Chris. Thanks for joining us and welcome to our community. Helena has provided you some good tips on gaining trust from your little friend. The more time you spend near him (or her) without violating his personal cage space, the more apt he will be to begin feeling safer around you. Keep in mind, though, that his past experiences with humans will factor in to how well and how quickly that may work out. Patience is often very important when it comes to befriending a parrot :)

I think your friend looks like a White-fronted Amazon (also called "Spectacled" Amazon). I notice that the light area on his forehead has a yellowish or peach-ish tinge to it... but I suspect that's from the lighting and the resulting image hue. It's also difficult from your photos to tell if there are any bits of blue behind the white area. Again, I'm assuming that some blue feathers can probably been seen there and that the lighting/hue merely conceals them in your photos.

As for the red wing feathers, a quick web search reveals that they may be absent on younger and female WFAs. Below is an excerpted description:


Common small amazon of semi-open Pacific lowlands. Bill yellowish. Mostly green, feathers of neck, breast, and back scaled black; forecrown white, midcrown blue, lores and ocular area red; primary coverts red (forming a conspicuous path in flight, with some showing even on perched birds), much blue in flight feathers; some orange-red at base of tail feathers. Female and immatures show little or no red on wing and have duller facial pattern.

From: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]


Here's one example photo of a pair of WFAs with little to no red wing feathers showing:

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

I hope the above is helpful.

[Lady]

Hi Chris,

:pp_welcome:~

Your bird is quite a cutie, thanks for sharing his pic. I'm looking forward to learning more about the WFA, as I don't know much about this species myself. It's nice hearing that you are finding "power pause" is working for you. I wasn't sure what it was till I did some research. There are many methods out there but finding the one that your WFA responds to is the one that will do best. Remember too that it takes time for your bird to get comfortable in its new surroundings, sights and sounds. Routines are very important with a parrot as other things like diet, lighting, housing and most important love~