{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | image = Jaco parrot (Amazona arausiaca) in Dominica 2026.jpg | image_caption = In a guava tree, in Dominica | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International. |year=2021 |title=''Amazona arausiaca'' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T22686395A179463121 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22686395A179463121.en |access-date=1 January 2026}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref> | genus = Amazona | species = arausiaca | authority = (Muller, 1776)<ref name = "ITIS"/> | synonyms = ''Amazona bouqueti'' | range_map = Amazona arausiaca map.svg }}[[File:Amazona arausiaca -Roseau -Dominica -aviary-6a-4c.jpg|thumb|At the Parrot Conservation and Research Centre Botanical Gardens, Roseau, Dominica]] thumb|In flight, in Dominica
The '''red-necked amazon''' ('''''Amazona arausiaca'''''), known locally as the '''jaco parrot''' or '''jaco''',<ref name=":1" /><ref name="rarespecies.org" /><ref name=":0" /> is an amazon parrot species endemic to the island of Dominica. Other names include '''red-necked parrot''', '''Dominican blue-faced amazon''', and '''lesser Dominican amazon'''.<ref name=":2" /> It gets its name from the area of orange and reddish plumage commonly found at its throat. This parrot is a vulnerable species, with an estimated population of 850-1000 mature individuals.<ref name="Amazona arausiaca IUCN">{{cite iucn|title=''Amazona arausiaca''|article-number=e.T22686395A179463121|author=BirdLife International|date=2021|volume=|access-date=|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22686395A179463121.en}}</ref> It is fully protected under Dominican law.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Christian |first=Colmore S. |last2=Zamore |first2=Michael P. |last3=Christian |first3=Adolphus E. |date=1994-12-01 |title=Parrot conservation in a small island-nation: Case of the Commonwealth of Dominica |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169390 |journal=Human Ecology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=495–504 |doi=10.1007/BF02169390 |issn=1572-9915|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Description== The red-necked amazon averages about 40 cm in length<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Red-necked Amazon {{!}} World Parrot Trust |url=https://parrots.org/encyclopedia/red-necked-amazon/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=parrots.org}}</ref> and can weigh between 550 and 650 g.<ref name="rarespecies.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.rarespecies.org/rn.html |title=Rare Species Conservatory Foundation |access-date=2014-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407093152/http://www.rarespecies.org/rn.html |archive-date=2014-04-07 }}</ref> Most of the bird's body is covered in deep bottle green feathers, and a wide band of yellow color runs down to the tip of its tail.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Holliday |first=Steve |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wildlife_of_the_Eastern_Caribbean/f_Q9EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jaco+parrot+eats+seeds+dominica&pg=PA126&printsec=frontcover |title=Wildlife of the Eastern Caribbean |last2=Holliday |first2=Gill |date=2025-07-01 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-26991-7 |language=en}}</ref> It commonly has orange and reddish feathers on its throat.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> The bird sometimes has blue feathers on its forehead, around the eyes, and its head;<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Jaco Parrot |url=https://www.dom767.com/dompedia/jaco-parrot/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=DOM767 |language=en-US}}</ref> these blue feathers transition to gray feathers at its upper breast. The beak and feet are both grey.
==Range, habitat== The red-necked amazon is only found in the Caribbean island of Dominica. It dwells in the canopy of rainforests.<ref name="Amazona arausiaca IUCN" /> The birds are primarily located in the old-growth forests of Morne Diablotion (in northern Dominica) and Morne Trois Pitons National Park (in central Dominica), both of which are protected habitats.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Morne Diablotin National Park |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6021/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Marie-José |date=2018 |title=MORNE TROIS PITONS NATIONAL PARK WORLD HERITAGE SITE – IMPROVED MANAGEMENT PLAN |url=https://rris.biopama.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/Updated%20MTPNP%20Management%20Plan%20%282018%29.pdf}}</ref>
This species can sometimes be found at subordinate altitudes in agricultural regions and peripheral forests all the way to the northwest and northeast coasts.<ref name="Amazona arausiaca IUCN" /> The parrots primarily eat citrus fruits,<ref name=":4" /> flowers, sprouts, seeds, as well as pastoral crops.<ref name="Amazona arausiaca IUCN" />
==Social organisation== The species is highly social and flies in groups of 30 or more during the non-breeding season. Exceedingly territorial during nesting, breeding inaugurates from January to March, with fledging from May to July.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}
Red-necked amazon pairs are loyal to each other and tend to stay at the same nesting site for many years. Other than early morning and afternoon calls, these birds are fairly quiet and difficult to detect in the wild because they are well cloaked by their fluff. They are dexterous climbing birds and are prone to migrate seasonally, provisional on food supplies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/redneckedamazonparrots.html|title=The Red-necked or Blue-faced Amazon Parrots - Beauty of Birds|website=www.beautyofbirds.com|date=16 September 2021 }}</ref>
==Call== Red-necked amazons are most vigorous and animated in the early mornings from dawn to around 10 am, and again in the late afternoon after about 4 pm. During those periods they are most communicative. The cry of the red-necked amazon is rough with a high-pitched squawk and usually uses two-syllable notes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/red_necked_amazon/|title=Red-necked Amazon (Amazona arausiaca) - Parrot Encyclopedia|first=World Parrot|last=Trust|website=www.parrots.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/articles/articles-on-parrot-species/dominicas-imperial-and-red-necked-parrots|title=Dominica's Imperial and Red-Necked Parrots|website=www.theparrotsocietyuk.org}}</ref>
==Threats== Red-necked amazon numbers declined in the 20th Century. Threats included hunting, and, to a lesser extent, the pet trade. Today, hunting and illegal trade no longer pose a serious threat.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}
More recent threats include the clearing of forests for agriculture, and hurricanes. After Hurricane David in 1979, the parrot's population fell to an all-time low of 150.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dominica Parrots |url=https://www.rarespecies.org/dominica-parrots |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=Rare Species Conservatory Foundation |language=en}}</ref> By 2003, through substantial conservation action, this species recovered to a far healthier (estimated) 750 to 800 birds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Amazona_imperialis/|title=Amazona imperialis (imperial amazon)|website=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkive.org/red-necked-amazon/amazona-arausiaca/#src=portletV3api|title=Red-necked Amazon videos, photos and facts - Amazona arausiaca|website=Arkive|access-date=2014-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407101734/http://www.arkive.org/red-necked-amazon/amazona-arausiaca/#src=portletV3api#src=portletV3api|archive-date=2014-04-07}}</ref> The population continued to rise, and by 2017 had reached an estimated population of about 1200.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Castor |first=Susan |date=2020-07-01 |title=Winging It: Discovering The Caribbean Birding Trail, Part II: Dominica—The Rare Parrots' Paradise |url=https://www.laaudubon.org/blog/2020/6/29/winging-it-discovering-the-caribbean-birding-trail-part-ii-dominicathe-rare-parrots-paradise |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=Los Angeles Audubon Society |language=en-US}}</ref> In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the entirety of Dominica. The hurricane took a toll on the parrot's population,<ref name=":0" /> but the species did survive. All of the captive birds were safe after the Hurricane Maria and several wild birds were sighted flying around the island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcbirds.org/hurricanesandbirds|title=Post-Hurricane Report: How Are the Birds? {{!}} American Bird Conservancy|website=abcbirds.org|date=27 September 2017|language=en|access-date=2017-10-06}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist | refs = <ref name = "ITIS">{{cite web | url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177787 | title = ITIS Report: ''Amazona arausiaca'' | publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System | access-date = 27 August 2015}}</ref> }}
==External links== *{{Commonscat-inline|Amazona arausiaca}} *[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1688&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
{{Amazon parrots}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1047223}}
red-necked amazon Category:Endemic birds of Dominica red-necked amazon red-necked amazon