Green cheeked Amazon or Mexican red headed Parrot

Length: 33 cm (about 13 inches). Green. Feathers with black edges. Red forehead. Blue crown and blue around the ear coverts. Red wing coverts; primaries with blue tips. Green tail with yellow tip. Eyes yellow, beak pale yellow, legs green-gray. Young birds have a red forehead. Gentle birds, very popular with aviculturists. Usually very good talkers.

Bluefronted Amazon  - two subspecies.

Blue Fronts are large parrots measuring around 14.5 inches in length. Like all Amazons, body coloration is green and Blue Fronts have a black scalloping to their feathers. The head coloration can be quite variable. The forehead and lores are blue and is more pronounced in some individuals. The crown is yellow and can extend well back onto the head and can also be quite variable in individual birds. The bend of the wing is yellow infused with red. The bill is black. They are excellent mimics and some develop extensive vocabularies. Blue Fronts are outgoing like most Amazon parrots and love to be in the midst of things as they exhibit their talking and singing abilities. Gentle in personality, well socialized Blue Fronts are good companions for all ages. A large sized Amazon cage is suitable for a Blue Front as well as frequent baths. They adore water. Toys that can be chewed as well as acrylic toys that are brightly colored should be included in a Blue Fronts enclosure.

Fertility

The courtship behavior is accompanied by much shrieking and pecking at each other. Provide a pair with a good sized aviary and a roomy barrel or nest box. The female lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates for about 26 days. The young leave the nest after approximately 68 days. These parrots need large sunflower seeds, boiled corn, some hemp, oats, wheat, white seed, millet, walnuts, hazel nuts, ground nuts, fruits and greens year round. Fresh berries are also essential.

Social Behavior

Prefers to be kept in pairs or colonies. Young birds may be taught to talk.

Diet

I've noticed that more and more breeders are recommending pellets as a dietary base rather than the mixed fruits, nuts and seeds of the past. Many birds will pluck out the pieces that they want, and discard the rest, which isn't healthy at all. Providing pellets as the base diet assures that your bird is getting a balanced diet with all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs. For birds that have difficulty converting to pellets, it may be possible to grind up it's regular diet of seeds, nuts, etc into a chunky batter that can be rolled into balls to encourage better nutritious intake and get your bird used to finding it's meals in a pellet like form.

I would still recommend fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts as items for hand feeding. Bonding with your bird, especially those with long life spans, is very essential to your bird's mental and physical health. Hand feeding healthy treats is a great way to help encourage bonding with a new bird, and keep the bond strong with your bird throughout it's lifetime.

Beneficial foods include dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, dandelions, and chard, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Healthy table foods like cooked eggs, corn, beans, pasta, and rice can also be offered. Remove perishable foods after a few hours and at bedtime. Grit, gravel, and oyster shells should never be given. A seed-only diet will result in malnutrition.   Check out the Healthy Plants page for more information.

Cleaning

Tray liners should be replaced every day and the cage bottom, fittings and dishes regularly washed with hot water and soap. Once a month, disinfect the cage with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly. Line the tray with black and white newspaper or paper towels. It is unsafe to use pine/cedar shavings, corn cob or walnut bedding.

Habitat

As a cautionary note, you should avoid cheap powder coating or any coating at all! I've heard of cases where parrots have chewed the powdercoating right off it's cage, leaving the iron exposed to corrosion which could kill the bird if ingested. Most people I've talked to have suggested avoided powder coating because it may actually encourage the bird to chew due to the texture.
Parrots and other hook billed birds have very powerful beaks. Even a parakeet can destroy perches and chew itself out of flimsy cages. You'll need to make sure that your cage is sturdy enough to resist chewing and keep your pet safe. Large doors will allow you to easily access the cage for cleaning and to play with your bird. Large doors are a MUST for big birds or they may decide they don't like moving through it, making it difficult for you to handle them.
A playground shelf on top of the cage is a great way to encourage your bird to come in and out of it's cage without resistance. During the day, if your house is safe for it, you could leave the door open so the bird can have free roam of the playground and still return to the cage if it wishes. I've seen some set-ups which did not come with the playground and had it added later with great success, and still other successful owners which attached a shelf to the wall over or around the cage to support toys and a play area. What ever you do, parrots and parrot-like birds will all need lots of toys and forms of entertainment to prevent them from getting bored and even aggressive.

Health

All parakeets and parrots should be examined by a qualified AVIAN vet at least once a year or ASAP if any bleeding, injuries, or other signs are noted. It can be hard to tell when a bird is ill, and by the time you notice a problem, the sickness is usually well-advanced. Delaying a visit with an AVIAN vet or using over-the-counter or human medicines may be fatal.

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