Blue-Fronted Amazon

Amazona aestiva

A green South American parrot with a blue forehead and yellow face, also called the turquoise-fronted amazon.

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About the Blue-Fronted Amazon

Blue-fronted amazons are about 15 inches long and weigh about 14 ounces. They are mostly green with a blue forehead, a yellow or blue face, red shoulders and a black beak. They live in forests, scrublands, savannas and palm groves of southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina, and eat fruits, seeds, flowers, nuts and young leaves.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Amazona aestiva^[1]
Size: About 15 inches long.^[1]
Weight: About 14 ounces.^[1]
Lifespan: Up to 70 years.^[1]
Diet: Fruits, seeds, flowers, nuts and young leaves, including cactus fruit and palm seeds.^[1]
Habitat: Forests, scrublands, savannas and palm groves.^[1]
Where it lives: Southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina.^[1]
Group life: Pairs within a larger flock.^[1]
Babies: 1 to 5 eggs in a tree hole, incubated 23 to 25 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2019).^[2]

Fun facts

Under ultraviolet light, males and females have different feather patterns.^[1]
Blue-fronted amazons can live up to 70 years.^[1]
Flocks use special alarm calls to warn each other of danger.^[1]

Vocabulary

monogamous: Having one mate at a time, sometimes for life.
ultraviolet: A kind of light that people can't see but many birds can.
preen: To clean and arrange feathers with the beak.
pet trade: Buying and selling wild animals as pets, which can take too many from the wild.
near threatened: A conservation label meaning a species may soon be at risk of dying out if things don't improve.

See it in person

San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · BirdsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
Oakland ZooOakland, California · Tropical RainforestSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Blue-fronted Amazon.” https://www.sfzoo.org/blue-fronted-amazon/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Amazona aestiva (Turquoise-fronted Amazon).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22686332/154573813 (accessed 2026-10-02)