Editing Yellow-shouldered amazon

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Yellow-shouldered amazon
| status = NT
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 31 December 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2021 |title=''Amazona barbadensis'' |volume=2021 |page=e.T22686325A198373501 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22686325A198373501.en |access-date=31 December 2021}}</ref>
 | status2 = CITES_A1 
 | status2_system = CITES 
 | status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| image = Amazona barbadensis -pet-4.jpg
| image_caption = A pet on a wooden climbing frame in Venezuela
| genus = Amazona
| species = barbadensis
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1788)

| range_map = Amazona barbadensis map.svg

}}

The '''yellow-shouldered amazon''' ('''''Amazona barbadensis'''''), also known as the '''yellow-shouldered parrot''', is a [[parrot]] of the [[genus]] ''[[amazon parrot|Amazona]]'' that is found in the arid areas of northern [[Venezuela]], the Venezuelan islands of [[Isla Margarita|Margarita]] and [[Blanquilla Island|La Blanquilla]], and the island of [[Bonaire]] ([[Caribbean Netherlands]]). It has been [[Local extinction|extirpated]] from and [[species reintroduction|reintroduced]] to [[Aruba]] and introduced to [[Curaçao]].

== Taxonomy ==
The yellow-shouldered amazon was described and illustrated in 1738 by the English naturalist [[Eleazar Albin]] in his ''A Natural History of Birds'' based on live specimen. Albin believed that the parrot had come from Barbados and used the English name, the "Barbadoes parrot".<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Albin | first1=Eleazar | author1-link=Eleazar Albin | last2=Derham | first2=William | author2-link=William Derham | year=1738 | title=A Natural History of Birds : Illustrated with a Hundred and One Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven from the Life | volume=3 | page=11, Plate 11 | location=London | publisher=Printed for the author and sold by William Innys | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41130899 }}</ref> Using Albin's account, both [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson]] in 1760 and [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in 1781 included a description of the parrot in their books on birds.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | volume=4 | language=French, Latin | pages=236–237 | location=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36195355 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last=Latham | first=John | year=1781 | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=1, Part 1 | page=284, No. 90 | location=London | publisher= Printed for Benj. White | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33727802 }}</ref> When in 1788 the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] revised and expanded [[Carl Linnaeus]]'s ''[[Systema Naturae]]'', he included the yellow-shouldered amazon, coined the [[binomial name]] ''Psittacus barbadensis'' and cited Latham's work.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1788 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 1 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=339 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2896939 }}</ref> Gmelin specified the [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] as Barbados but this parrot species is not found on the island and Venezuela is the type locality.<ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Peters | editor-first=James Lee | editor-link=James L. Peters | year=1937 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=3 | publisher=Harvard University Press | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts  | page=220 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14477935 }}</ref> The yellow-shouldered amazon is now placed with around thirty other species in the genus ''[[Amazona]]'' that was introduced by the French naturalist [[René Lesson]] in 1830.<ref>{{cite book | last=Lesson | first=René | author-link=René Lesson | year=1831 | title=Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique | volume=1 | language=fr | place=Paris | publisher=F.G. Levrault | page=189 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35997173 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2022 | title=Parrots, cockatoos | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/parrots/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=26 March 2022 }}</ref> The genus name is a Latinized version of the name ''Amazone'' given to these parrot in the 18th century by the [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Comte de Buffon]], who believed they were native to Amazonian jungles. The specific ''barbadensis'' denotes Barbados.<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n44/mode/1up 44], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n67/mode/1up 67]}}</ref> The species is [[monotypic]]: no [[subspecies]] are recognised.<ref name=ioc/>

==Description==
[[File:Amazona barbadensis -pet-upper body-4-3c.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Front view]] 
The yellow-shouldered amazon is mainly green and about 33&nbsp;cm long (~13 inches). It has a whitish forehead and lores, and a yellow crown, ocular region and - often - ear coverts and chin. The bare eye-ring is white. The thighs and the bend of the wing ("shoulder") are yellow, but both can be difficult to see. The throat, cheeks and belly often have a bluish tinge. As most members of the genus ''Amazona'', it has broad dark blue tips to the [[remiges]] and a red [[wing-speculum]].<ref name = BLI-1677>{{cite web| publisher =BirdLife International (2008) |url = http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1677&m=0 |title = Species factsheet: ''Amazona barbadensis'' | access-date = 22 August 2008}}</ref>

The yellow-shouldered amazon can be distinguished from the very similar [[orange-winged amazon]] by the latter's lack of yellow on its shoulders and blue colouration around the eyes. Another way of distinguishing it from other ''Amazona'' species is its somewhat higher pitched vocalizations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Yellow-shouldered Parrot - eBird|url=https://ebird.org/species/yespar1|access-date=2022-01-04|website=ebird.org|language=en}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat ==
''A. barbadensis'' is [[Endemism|endemic]] to northern Venezuela, Bonaire (which may have less than 400 birds<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Yellow-shouldered parrot Conservation Case Study {{!}} The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund|url=https://www.speciesconservation.org/case-studies-projects/yellow-shouldered-parrot/555|access-date=2022-01-04|website=www.speciesconservation.org}}</ref>), and other islands in the area. On the Venezuelan island of Margarita, it is extirpated from the east side, which is heavily commercialized and a popular tourist destination, existing only on the [[Macanao Peninsula Municipality|Macanao Peninsula]].<ref name=":2" /> Also native to Aruba, it went locally extinct by 1947. In January of 2024, a population of over two dozen of these birds was reintroduced to the island and is doing well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Jessica |date=2024-01-11 |title=The First Yellow-Shouldered Amazon Take Free Flight Into Aruba’s Nature |url=https://dcnanature.org/lora-reintroduction/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=DCNA |language=en-US}}</ref> An introduced population exists on Curaçao. Unlike other ''Amazona'' members, it is typically found in arid habitats, such as [[Deserts and xeric shrublands|desert scrub]] and dry [[Forest|forests]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Caribbean Species Register|url=https://www.dutchcaribbeanspecies.org/linnaeus_ng/app/views/species/nsr_taxon.php?id=177288|access-date=2022-01-04|website=www.dutchcaribbeanspecies.org}}</ref>

==Behavior==
===Food and feeding===
It feeds on [[fruit]]s, [[seed]]s, and [[flower]]s, frequently consuming parts of [[cactus]] plants.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Farrows|title=Yellow-shouldered Parrot: Species in World Land Trust reserves|url=https://www.worldlandtrust.org/species/birds/yellow-shouldered-parrot/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=World Land Trust|language=en}}</ref> The parrot is able to survive with minimal water, getting a large amount of moisture from their diet. This is especially clear on La Blanquilla, a small island with no natural bodies of water. The cacti that they so often eat are filled with liquid, in both the stems and fruits, and this keeps them alive in their arid environment.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Silvius|first=Kirsten|date=1991|title=Parrots, Poachers and Payloaders: Status and Natural History of the Yellow-shouldered Amazon on Margarita Island, Venezuela|url=https://journals.tdl.org/watchbird/index.php/watchbird/article/view/2684|journal=AFA Watchbird|language=en|volume=18|issue=4|pages=17–19}}</ref>

===Breeding===
The yellow-shouldered amazon typically nests in holes in [[Tree|trees]], cliffs, or cacti, and lays 2-5 eggs.<ref name=":1" /> Total clutch size and hatching success of this species on Margarita Island are among the highest documented for the genus ''Amazona'', suggesting a high reproductive potential for the species <ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sanz|first1=Virginia|last2=Rodriguez-Ferraro|first2=Adriana|title=Reproductive Parameters and Productivity of the Yellow-Shouldered Parrot on Margarita Island, Venezuela: a Long-Term Study|journal=The Condor|date=2006|volume=108|issue=1|pages=178–192|doi=10.1650/0010-5422(2006)108[0178:RPAPOT]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=86353277 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It is highly gregarious, and can sometimes roost in communally in tall trees, forming groups of as many as 700.<ref name=":1" /> The population on Bonaire appears to breed slower than is typical for the species, bringing it in line with other members of the genus.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Factors affecting the life history, abundance and distribution of the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot (Amazona barbadensis) on Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles|url=https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21831/|publisher=University of Sheffield|date=2010|degree=phd|language=en|first=Samuel R.|last=Williams}}</ref>

==Status==
[[File:Amazona barbadensis canifrons.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Possible extinct subspecies from Aruba, ''A. b. canifrons'']] 
Declines in several main land populations have been extensively documented, there are believed to be 2,500–10,000 yellow-shouldered amazons in the wild.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ferrer-Paris|first1=José R|last2=Sánchez-Mercado|first2=Ada|last3=Rodríguez-Clark|first3=Kathryn M.|last4=Rodríguez|first4=Jon Paul|last5=Rodríguez|first5=Gustavo A.|title=Using limited data to detect changes in species distributions: Insights from Amazon parrots in Venezuela|journal=Biological Conservation|date=2014|volume=173|pages=133–143|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2013.07.032|bibcode=2014BCons.173..133F |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260082178}}</ref>

Due to ongoing habitat lost, small population size, limited range and overhunting for the [[Wildlife trade|pet trade]], the yellow-shouldered amazon is evaluated as [[Near threatened species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] of Threatened Species.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Amazona barbadensis'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22686325A110628721 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22686325A110628721.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> On La Blanquilla, the main issues are predation by [[Feral cat|feral cats]] and hunting by local [[Fisherman|fishermen]] and Naval personnel.<ref name=":2" /> It is listed on Appendix I of [[CITES]]. Thanks to local surveillance by the Venezuelan [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]] Provita, poaching has been significantly lowered in certain areas.<ref name=":3" />

The population on the [[Caribbean]] island of Margarita had been as low as 750 birds in 1989, but thanks to conservation efforts, there were an estimated 2,400 by 2002,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-12-31|title=Threatened Caribbean species and habitats, Venezuela|url=https://whitleyaward.org/winners/threatened-carribean-species-venezuela/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Whitley Award|language=en-GB}}</ref> although different estimates describe just 2,000 in 2015.<ref name=":1" /> These efforts involved, among other things, the breeding and releasing of captive individuals, which was done with much success in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sanz|first1=Virginia|last2=Grajal|first2=Alejandro|date=1998|title=Successful Reintroduction of Captive-Raised Yellow-Shouldered Amazon Parrots on Margarita Island, Venezuela|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1998.96261.x|journal=Conservation Biology|language=en|volume=12|issue=2|pages=430–441|doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.1998.96261.x|bibcode=1998ConBi..12..430S |s2cid=85239736 |issn=1523-1739|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* ''Birds of Venezuela'' by Hilty, {{ISBN|0-7136-6418-5}}
* [http://www.irf.org/bbarden.htm Island Resource Foundation. Threatened and Endangered Birds of the Insular Caribbean, Yellow-shouldered Amazon, ''Amazona barbadensis''. Downloaded on 5 June 2006 from http://www.irf.org/bbarden.htm]

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Amazona barbadensis}}
* [http://www.beautyofbirds.com/yellowshoulderedamazon.html yellow-shouldered amazons - BeautyOfBirds, formerly Avian Web]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070701181139/http://www.parrotwatch.org/ Parrotwatch - watch video of yellow-shouldered amazons in the nest]}}

{{Amazon parrots}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q918170}}

[[Category:Amazon parrots|yellow-shouldered amazon]]
[[Category:Birds of Venezuela]]
[[Category:Birds of the Netherlands Antilles]]
[[Category:Birds of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Birds of the Venezuelan Coastal Range]]
[[Category:Margarita Island]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1788|yellow-shouldered amazon]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin|yellow-shouldered amazon]]