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Two green red-lored amazon parrots with red wing patches flying against a gray sky.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Red-Lored Amazon

Amazona autumnalis (Salvin's amazon is the subspecies A. a. salvini)

A green Central and South American parrot with red feathers above its beak. The Salvin's amazon is one of its subspecies.

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About the Red-Lored Amazon

Red-lored amazons are about 14 inches long and weigh 11 to 17 ounces. The Salvin's amazon is a subspecies found from eastern Nicaragua to southwest Colombia and northwest Venezuela. It is green with red feathers above the beak, a bluish crown and some red in the tail, but no yellow on the cheeks. These parrots live in the rainforest canopy and lowland woods and eat fruits, seeds, flowers, buds, nuts and even coffee beans.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Amazona autumnalis (Salvin's amazon is the subspecies A. a. salvini)[1]
Size
About 14 inches long.[1]
Weight
11 to 17 ounces.[1]
Diet
Fruits, seeds, flowers, buds, nuts and coffee beans.[1]
Habitat
Tropical rainforest canopy and lowland forests and woodlands.[1]
Where it lives
Salvin's amazon: eastern Nicaragua to southwest Colombia and northwest Venezuela.[1]
Group life
Flocks, except in breeding season when pairs form.[1]
Babies
3 or 4 eggs in a tree hole, incubated 26 days.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • "Lore" is the name for the area between a bird's eye and its beak.[1]
  • Red-lored amazons use their feet like hands to hold food.[1]
  • Salvin's amazons don't have the yellow cheeks other red-lored amazons have.[1]

Vocabulary

lore
The area between a bird's eye and its beak.
subspecies
A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.
zygodactyl
Having two toes pointing forward and two pointing back, like a parrot.
monogamous
Having one mate at a time, sometimes for life.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Salvin's Amazon.” https://www.sfzoo.org/salvins-amazon/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Amazona autumnalis (Red-lored Amazon).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728292/132031668 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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