A natural talker with a heart of gold, the yellow-naped Amazon is a favorite among bird owners looking for true companionship! You'll know these beauties by their vibrant green bodies with yellow banding at the nape of the neck. If you've just brought home a baby yellow-naped Amazon, don't panic if you don't see yellow on the neck. It actually takes up to a full year for the yellow to show up! You may also notice little strokes of yellow on the forehead and wing! One good thing to know for newly minted owners of this bubbly breed is that juvenile yellow-naped parrots tend be much duller in color than they will be once they reach maturity. It's just one example of how things just keep getting better and better when you have one to call your own! Of course, what makes this parrot most famous is its strong ability to mimic human voices. A good voice is only the beginning of the good vibes this parrot brings! If you're looking for a bird that's an absolute gem to have in your home, get to know the yellow-naped Amazon.

Getting to Know the Yellow-Naped Amazon

The yellow-naped Amazon is native to Mexico and Central America. The way that modern-day bird owners are captivated by these lime-hued lovelies is nothing new. People have been keeping yellow-naped Amazons as pets for more than 150 years! It's hard not to be captivated by orange eyes ringed in grey when you first make eye contact with this parrot.

The beautiful onyx beak on this Amazon bird has a dramatic effect on what is otherwise a very vibrantly colored bird. Their accompanying black nails can make it seem like they are wearing "matching shoes" at times. A typical yellow-naped Amazon will grow to be 12 to 15 inches long. Most weigh just 1 pound!

Big Talkers With Big Personality

Yellow-naped Amazons love nothing more than to form a strong bond with a single human. In some cases, this can create just a little bit of drama in a household because the parrot may "reject" other people in favor of a favorite! However, this can often be avoided by plenty of socialization and exposure with the entire household from the start. Just keep in mind that this bird's beautifully mysterious onyx beak can produce a mighty bite when provoked!

Yellow Nape Amazon's Speech Ability

Many people choose yellow-naped Amazons due to their extraordinary talking abilities. In most households, you'll actually hear this bird going back and forth between "human" and "parrot" voices! While the yellow-naped isn't the loudest parrot out there, it's certainly near the top of the list. It's not just the fact that these birds talk loudly and frequently that makes them extraordinary. It's the quality of their speech.

No parrot can match the yellow-naped in terms of the clarity they are able to achieve when mimicking human speech. You could easily fool someone into thinking that there was another human in the room with you if you were holding a conversation with your winged darling! Just keep in mind that what's said in your house with a yellow-naped may not necessarily stay in your house! This is definitely not a bird you want to spill secrets to!

As we always like to remind people considering bird ownership, the value of a bird should never come down to whether or not they are able to talk. While enjoying vocalizations is a wonderful perk of owning a parrot, one should never expect that their bird is guaranteed to become a prize-winning talker. While most parrots do excel at speech, it's important to go into bird ownership with the mentality that you will love your bird unconditionally!

Temperament of a Yellow Nape Amazon

As babies, yellow-naped Amazons are pure sweethearts. They are extremely gentle and affectionate. While many retain this innate sweetness for life, there is the reality that most parrot species become slightly more guarded as they mature. It's possible that your yellow-naped parrot could become less social and friendly as time goes on. Of course, providing your bird with plenty of attention, interaction and quality play is the best way to keep fostering that naturally affable disposition. Generally, females of this specific species tend to have stronger good-natured temperaments than males. However, personalities ultimately vary by bird.

Yellow-naped Amazons are unique in the way that they bond. If you're a yellow-naped owner, you may have noticed that your bird seems to really love you like nobody else! No, that's not just your imagination. Yellow-naped parrots actually form rock-solid bonds through a behavior that's known as duetting that occurs in the wild. When duetting in its natural habitat, a parrot forms a strong bond with another member of the household as a way to build up a defense mechanism. A big part of duetting is communicating verbally with a partner to guard against harm. This is one of the reasons why it seems like your yellow-naped parrot just can't wait to catch up on chatting with you the moment you walk through the door!

Something You Should Know About Yellow-Naped Parrots

In the untamed, densely forested wilds of Mexico and Central America, colorful yellow-naped parrots are cavity-nesting birds. This means that they are adept at making nests out of holes inside trees. With this trait, they are actually in the company of birds like owls and woodpeckers. Cavity-nesting birds have evolved to be able to excavate their nests by tearing away at bark. As a result, they have a deeply ingrained instinct to chew that they just can't quit. This is something to watch out for if you have a yellow-naped parrot because they often enjoy chewing. Make sure that any toys you place in your bird's cage are made with bird-safe materials!

Why This Is the "Heirloom" Parrot

There's one more thing to know about the yellow-naped parrot that will once again leave you in awe! Known for longevity, these birds consistently reach 50 or 60 years of age with proper care! It's not unheard of for some to live to reach 70 to 90 years! Obviously, bird lovers have to take into account the very long commitment that goes into welcoming one of these birds into their homes, families and hearts. In fact, these birds give so much love that they often become pets to more than one generation!

Final Thoughts on Why We Love the Yellow-Naped Parrot

This is one of the best birds if you're looking for a talking parrot with amazing vocal abilities! However, the sunny color scheme and friendly personality of this bird create their own kind of song in your heart! As always, make sure you're giving your yellow-naped beauty all the right nutrition and energy to live its fullest, healthiest life!



Sources:

https://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/amazons/yellownapedamazon.php

https://www.thesprucepets.com/yellow-naped-amazon-parrots-390262

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-naped_amazon

https://donnallong.com/cavity-nesters-birds-that-use-holes-in-trees/