The mealy Amazon parrot has earned itself the title “the gentle giant of the Amazon parrots.”
This bird is a docile and easy-to-train parrot that makes a wonderful pet.
Even though this large-sized parrot isn’t as colorful and flashy as other parrot family members, it’s a loving and friendly bird, and that makes up for that part.
The Amazon mealy parrot is the best choice for anyone who wants a large-sized bird that is a bit laid back in attitude.
Common Name
The blue-crowned mealy parrot, mealy parrot, and mealy Amazon.
Scientific Name
The scientific name for the Amazon Mealy parrot is Amazona farinosa.
History and Origin
The mealy Amazon parrot is native to South America and Central America.
Their range extends from southern Mexico to some parts of Bolivia and even Brazil.
You can also find them in countries like Colombia and Peru.
These birds found a home in the tropical rainforests and woodlands of these countries where that can be found.
You can mostly find them in large flocks that can be a collection of over 100 birds; however, meeting peugeots fly off searching for a tree cavity where they will nest during the breeding season.
They do not have difficulty finding food, as mealy Amazon parrots are known to ravage people’s farmlands and become serious pests.
It is common to see farmers making lots of noise and weaving off these birds whenever a flock flies past their farmland to scare them away from their crops.
Size
The mealy Amazon parrots are one of the largest birds in the Amazon parrot family.
When measured in length, the mealy Amazon parrots can measure up to 15 or 17 inches from beak to tail.
When fully grown, these parrots can weigh as much as 1 to 2 pounds on average.
However, it is not rare to see some of them grow bigger than this size.
Average Lifespan
When in captivity, the Amazon mealy parrots can live up to 60 or 70 years with a balanced diet and proper care.
If you choose to adopt this parrot, have it at the back of your mind that it’s a lifetime commitment and isn’t one you want to take lightly.
Temperament
The Mealy Amazon parrots are known to be the most docile and gentle members of the Amazon parrot family.
These birds are very affectionate when domesticated and quickly develop a strong bond with their owner.
This character can be traced to the instinct that causes them to monogamous pairing with a lifetime mate ( talk about faithfulness in a relationship ).
These parrots love to engage in interactions with their human family.
Many owners have claimed that their Amazon parrots may wander around the house searching for a human to give it some much-needed attention.
When they find a human in the house who looks interested in playing with them, they wait patiently to be played with or picked from the ground.
Mealy Amazons are nonaggressive, which is unique considering that other Amazon parrots are aggressive.
They are sometimes called the “non-nippy Amazons” because they rarely bite or nip. They are also friendly to other birds.
In vocalization, this big bird has quite a big voice, and when it screams, its voice can be heard from a very long distance.
However, it will not yell out unnecessarily like some other feistier parrot species.
The Amazon mealy parrots are wonderful talkers, so get ready for plenty of chitchat and laughs as you listen to them repeat some phrases and use different inflections every single time.
Colors and Markings
Amazon mealy parrots are mostly green, with a lighter shade of lime green towards their tail area and darker green towards their upper body.
It is easy to differentiate them from other parrots because they possess a grey-green pattern that lines their neck down to their back.
These parrots look like they fell into a bag of flour, so they are called “mealy” parrots.
These birds are also called blue-crowned parrots because they have a tiny patch of feathers on their head or crown.
Some Amazon mealy parrots may have a purple patch rather than blue, and others may have a yellow patch on their foreheads.
You can also find some bursts of blue and red on the edges of some of their feathers, and their legs are a beautiful flesh color.
Their break comes in various colors, from yellow to horn-colored and even dark grey.
Their eyes are circled with a white ring completely free of feathers.
Caring for the Amazon Mealy Parrot
Amazon mealy parrots can not leave a void of social interaction because it is almost all needed to live happy and healthy lives.
When an Amazon mealy parrot is neglected, it becomes frustrated and begins to exhibit destructive behaviors and even fall into depression.
When depression sets in due to neglect, you may notice characters like feather plucking, emotional and physical problems, as well as biting.
The owner of an Amazon mealy parrot must set a specific time daily for him or her to engage in face-to-face interaction with his or her pet.
This important daily interaction between pet and owner is not only to help keep the bigger tame but also to help create and maintain a healthy bond between them.
This bird wants to be close to its owner and, if possible, sit on its owner’s shoulder so that it takes part in whatever happens around it.
Even though hand-feed mealy parrots usually turn out to be easy to train and very affectionate, many of them go through a certain stage during adolescence where the hormones kick in, and they start to act naughty.
This stage will certainly pass, but some owners can’t deal with the aggressive tendencies that come with it.
This phase may last as long as two years, so Amazon mealy parrots are usually recommended for only experienced bird owners.
What is most important is an owner’s ability to study the bird’s personality and also put in effort to form a strong bond with it.
You would eventually discover that the Amazon mealy parrot can be a well-behaved pet with good training.
As long as you are fully committed to providing for the needs of this bird and you are financially ready to cater to the expenses that come with owning that size of parrot.
If you feel like you can care for a mealy parrot, contact some local breeders and schedule an appointment to meet their birds.
When you observe how these parrots behave at the breeder’s, you can easily decide if they suit your lifestyle and if you can deal with their activity level.
Feeding
Like most other Amazon parrots, the mealy parrot will do best when fed with a diet of high-quality pellets.
Nevertheless, endeavor to supplement the diet with a seed mix and some nice daily servings of fruits and veggies that are bird-friendly.
Your bird’s diet should comprise only fresh foods to keep it well-nourished.
Exercise
Amazon mealy parrots are easy weight gainers who can take excess weight without warning.
For this reason, you must give them plenty of room to exercise daily.
Giving your mealy parrot at least three to four hours outside its cage daily is enough to help it burn some energy and stretch out its muscles while getting enough mental stimulation.
When getting a cage for a big bird, the bigger the cage, the better.
When a cage has enough space, you can easily introduce a perch and other toys that can help keep your pet busy and prevent boredom.
It is also important to rotate your mealy’s toys so that they stay interested in playing and don’t look for something else to nibble on.
Amazon mealy parrots may not be bitters, but they are chewers, so if you do not provide this, they can chew on they might find your furniture chew-friendly and dig into it at the slightest chance.
