Red-tailed amazon
Red-tailed amazon (Amazona brasiliensis) is a near-threatened parrot from Brazil. It lives in the Serra do Mar coastal forests and is about 35 cm long, weighing around 425 g. It has a broad red tail with a yellow tip, a green body, purple-blue throat and cheeks, a red forecrown, a yellow bill with a dark tip, and orange eyes.
The bird feeds mainly on fruit, seeds, and nectar, sometimes insects. It usually forages on the mainland but roosts and nests on coastal islands, often in pairs or large flocks. Breeding occurs from September to February in natural tree cavities, with 3–4 eggs per clutch, about 27–28 days of incubation, and 50–55 days from hatching to fledging.
Red-tailed amazons are mostly found in lowland areas below 200 meters, sometimes up to 700 meters. Much of their habitat has been lost due to logging, farming, and development, leaving only about 7% of the original Atlantic forest. The remaining habitat is highly fragmented, which makes finding food and nesting more difficult.
Major threats include habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade. Trafficking damages nests and many birds die during transport. The population was once fewer than 2,000 individuals, but a 2015 estimate put it at about 9,000–10,000, indicating some recovery, though the species remains vulnerable.
Conservation efforts include legal protections (IUCN Near Threatened, CITES Appendix I, US Endangered Species Act), education programs started in 1997 to reduce threats, captive-breeding programs in Europe and Brazil, and protected areas like Superagui National Park. These actions help protect forests, support seed dispersal, and promote ecotourism that benefits local communities.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:09 (CET).