Identification

The Red-crowned Parrot is a medium-sized (total length 33 cm, wing length 186–213 mm, mass 295–345 g), mostly green Amazona parrot, with a short tail (90–110 mm) (1 Tobias, J. A., C. Sheard, A. L. Pigot, A. J. Devenish, J. Yang, F. Sayol, M. H. Neate‐Clegg, N. Alioravainen, T. L. Weeks, R. A. Barber, P. A. Walkden, et al. (2022). Avonet: Morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25:581–597. Close ). The extent of the bright red crown is variable, sometimes confined only to the forecrown and lores, but it usually extends from forehead and lores to the top of the crown above the eye. Red is bordered by violet blue from the rear supercilium and the sides of rear crown, sometimes extending to the nape and sides of neck. The rear crown and hindneck are variably scaled with narrowly black-tipped feathers. The cheeks are bright green and not black-tipped, from which the Latin (viridi = green, gena = cheek) and common aviculture name of Green-cheeked Amazon arise. The speculum is red and the secondaries tipped with blue; otherwise, the remiges are green for the most part and bluish black towards the ends. The back, underparts, shoulder, and the base of tail are green, the tail tipped with yellowish green. The bill is a dull cream color; the orbital ring and ceres whitish to light gray. The iris is yellow or bright orange. Males and females look alike, although the red crown may be more extensive on males versus females of similar age.

The juvenile is similar to the adult, but usually has red limited to the forehead and sometimes a few scattered feathers on the crown; blue on the sides of the crown tends to form a broad band over and behind the eye. The iris is gray in juveniles during their first 2–6 months after fledging.

The flight is fast, with rapid shallow wing beats similar to other Amazona parrots, almost always flying in pairs or in large flocks consisting of many family groups.

Odd-colored individuals are not uncommon in the wild (ECE, SK). Variations include yellow feathers on several parts of the body, especially the neck, head, and around the red in the speculum; the bend of wing is sometimes red. Lutino variants exist but are extremely uncommon in the wild, and birds can molt out of odd colorations (SK).

Other Amazona parrots that at least partly overlap in native range (northeastern Mexico) include Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis), which has yellow in the cheeks and a darker, mostly black bill with dark cere and orbital skin, and Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix), which is noticeably larger and has extensive yellow on the head and red on the shoulder. Adults are distinguished from other Amazona parrots by a combination of bright green cheeks, an extensive bright red crown, and black-tipped feathers that create a scalloped appearance on the neck. The closely related Lilac-crowned Parrot (Amazona finschi) is extremely similar, but has lilac blue on the hind crown and the sides of the neck, more black-tipped feathers on the underparts, and darker crimson feathering restricted to the lores and forehead and not extending above the eye. The Lilac-crowned Parrot also has dark gray ceres and orbital skin. Hybrids have intermediate features of the two species and can be difficult to identify (see Hybridization); hybrids are uncommon but regular where Red-crowned Parrot and Lilac-crowned Parrot co-occur, such as around McAllen in southern Texas and Los Angeles, California (2 Mabb, K. T. (1997). Nesting Behavior of Amazona Parrots and Rose-ringed Parakeets in the San Gabriel Valley, California. Western Birds 28:209-217. Close ).

Flight calls of Red-crowned Parrot are extremely similar to those of Lilac-crowned Parrot, but discernible from Red-lored Parrot and Yellow-headed Parrot.