Scaly-naped Amazon Amazona mercenarius Scientific name definitions

Although widely distributed, from extreme northwest Venezuela, discontinuously south to Bolivia, with a single record from Argentina, the Scaly-naped Amazon appears to be nowhere common, and seems to have badly affected by deforestation in at least some parts of its range. It mainly inhabits subtropical and temperate forests in the Andes, and this parrot is speculated to perform seasonal or even semi-nomadic movements, presumably in search of suitable food resources. Smaller than the otherwise very similarly plumaged Mealy Amazon (Amazona farinosa), the Scaly-naped Amazon is largely confined to rather higher elevations than the latter, but some overlap might occur. In flight, note the red on the outer tail feathers, while at rest observers should note the scaly appearance to some of the head and body feathers, and the brighter green tone to the plumage of the present species.