Breeding The Amazing Parrots

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-fed baby Amazons were imported annually. With this huge influx of imported baby birds to satisfy the pet market, there was very little incentive for USA aviculturists to work with the more common species in an earnest effort to breed them.

- Gail J. Worth

Now that this supply of babies, as well 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.

Exciting and Rewarding

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 nest box 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 and which 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 adults 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 to adjust to captivity. Today there are domestic, unrelated birds available in all of the more common species, as well as many of the rarer ones.