These interesting and popular pets are originally from the coastal area of Mexico.

Yellow headed Amazons have striking markings, with mostly green bodies, a bright yellow head and a red patch on both wings.

Their range includes parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, and they tend to prefer habitats in tropical and subtropical forests.

They also live in savannas, mangrove swamps and cultivated land that still retains trees

Unfortunately, these parrots are now on the endangered species list.

Deforestation has destroyed their habitat, illegal pet trading has reduced their numbers in the wild, and poaching is responsible for the deaths of many birds.

Captive bred birds are available as pets, but like most other parrots, they are quite expensive.

This is due to the effort required to raise one.

Considered perhaps the second best talker in the parrot world (after the African Grey), these parrots are popular because of their vocal abilities.

Remember, however, that not every parrot will talk.

The amount your pet will talk will depend on its preferences and surroundings.

Some birds chatter right away, while others won’t talk at all.

That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot more than talking there, however.

Even a nontalking parrot is smart, active, and entertaining.

These birds love attention, and can be playful and very vocal.

In fact, they’re generally called the loudest of the Amazon parrots, and may need some training to quiet them down a little.

The activity level of the yellow headed Amazon parrot means that it needs an environment that’ll allow it to fly.

For many, this means an aviary or parrot room.

Indoor cages are still a possibility, however.

You just need to offer enough daily exercise to keep your bird happy.

These parrots are easy to tame and train, but be sure to supervise them when they’re out.

Like most large parrots, yellow headed Amazons are quite destructive.

Be sure to provide lots of branches and toys to chew on, as well as perches, ropes and ladders for climbing.

Don’t be surprised if your bird tends to explore and climb with its beak as well as its feet.

You may find your pet eating all kinds of foods and trying out new things on a regular basis.

Feed a good, balanced diet, and offer plenty of toys and interaction to keep your pet happy and healthy. You’ll get years of entertainment and companionship as your reward.

Parrots are classified as a type of bird, belonging to the family known as psittacines.

There are somewhere between 350 to 400 species of parrots, which can generally be divided into three main categories:

• The Psittacidae (‘true’ parrots)

• The Cacatuidae (cockatoos)

• The Nestoridae (New Zealand parrots)

The most commonly known parrots are:

• budgies,

• cockatoos,

• rosellas,

• loris,

• conures,

• African grays,

• lovebirds,

• senegals,

• jardines,

• ringnecks,

• amazons, and

• macaws.

You may also have heard them referred to as ‘hook-bills’, due to the hook-like shape of their bills.

Generally, parrots can be found in most regions where there is a warm or tropical climate, in particular South America and Australasia.

The parrot possesses the widest array of colors within all bird species.

The color you are most likely to think of is green, and you are right in that it is the most common, but some, for example the Amazon parrot, have complementary colors of red, blue or yellow which intensify their physical beauty.

The Cockatoo on the other hand come in shades of white, black, or a light pink.

In terms of size, they can range from a length of 8cm, namely the Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, to the Hyacinth Macaw, which can reach lengths of 1 meter.

They are familiarized by their strong, hook-shaped beaks, which are vital to the birds when they climb, feed, or build nests for their young.

The tongue is also very powerful and is used to position nuts and seeds so that the right pressure can be given when using the beak.

They tend to have a large head with the eyes placed on the side, which gives them a great advantage in peripheral vision.

Like other birds, a parrot has four toes, the difference being that unlike other birds, the parrot has two facing forward and two backward as opposed to three forward and one backward.

This is thought to give them a better hold on things.

Cockatoos have what is called a crest of feathers on the top of their heads that may resemble a Mohican, only it can be raised and retracted at will.

A parrot’s diet is mostly made up of nuts, seeds, fruits, nectar and some will occasionally eat on small insects.

Their intelligence is shown in their ability to understand their human companions.

Imitating human voices, singing, and performing various tricks are quite usual of a parrot’s capability and is perhaps the reason why they are a popular choice of pet.

In the wild, they group together in what is known as a ‘flock’, in which they are very vocal amongst the rest of the flock, giving justice to their interactions with humans in captivity.

All in all, a parrot will enjoy bonding with their owners, if through talking, entertaining or even cuddling!

They are very intelligent, have fairly complex needs, and can live more than sixty years.

If you want to make sure that you have a companion that will keep you company for the better part of the next century, you need to look into where they come from, and this is where parrot breeders come in.

A parrot that has been hand raised from the egg, who recognizes and is social with humans, is going to be a much better pet and companion, so how can you make sure that you find a good breeder?

Check out some of the qualifications of finding a good parrot breeder.

First, make sure that your parrot breeder is one who comes highly recommended.

Most breeders have websites these days, and even if they do not, you should be able to find news about them on the Internet.

Look at the people that they have sold birds to; where those people happy with the parrots that they received and were they pleased with the attitude of the breeder?

Did they receive a bird that had a good constitution and was their bird well socialized?

Looking into the people who have worked with the breeder before is very important.

It is always important to make sure that you are going to be able to visit the breeder before you make your purchase and selection.

A good breeder will be happy to show you around the animals that he or she has, and these animals should impress you as being very healthy and happy.

If they are secretive and will not let you meet the parents without a good reason to be so, it is time to consider taking your business elsewhere.

A good parrot breeder is going to be one who knows all of their birds personally, and they will know about individual birds’ likes and dislikes.

If you notice birds that are plucking out their own feathers or obviously unhealthy, it is time to find another breeder.

Ideally, the breeder will also have let the baby parrots learn to fly before they clipped their wings.

A baby bird should know how to fly, maneuver and land before their wings are clipped for the first time; this is essential to making sure that your parrot will have the coordination and muscle tone that is necessary to keep the bird healthy well into old age.

The healthier the bird is as a chick, the better a chance it has to live a long and happy life.

Most good breeders will also not sell birds long distance.

Shipping the bird or requiring it to travel can be hard on a tropical animal, and if the bird is local, the transition will be much easier.

They should be inquisitive about your life and they should be doing their best to make sure that you are going to give their parrot chick a good home!

Take some time to make sure that you are going to be getting a good parrot from a good parrot breeder; this can make a huge difference.