Orange-winged Amazon (Orange-winged Parrot)

A medium-sized green parrot roughly 33cm long with a blue and yellow face and blue-violet crown. The orange wing speculum, for which it is named, is its primary field mark during flight

Shows a transition from a pale grey/blue base into a vivid lime green, with a distinct orange-yellow wash on the outer web distal portion

The distal portion is pennaceous with locked barbs forming a smooth vane; the proximal half is plumulaceous (downy) with loose, long filaments for insulation

The rachis is thin and white at the base, darkening slightly towards the tip; barbs from the plumulaceous section are dense and chaotic, while pennaceous barbs are neatly aligned

Smooth and slightly waxy on the pennaceous vane with a soft, fuzzy, and airy texture at the plumulaceous base

Likely from the breast, flank, or lesser wing coverts, where distinctive color transitions occur

The combination of lime green pigmentation with the bright internal orange-yellow tinting on a single vane is diagnostic for Amazona amazonica

Tropical and subtropical forests, mangroves, and savannas; frequently found near rivers and swampy areas

Common across South America, from Colombia and Venezuela down to central Brazil and northern Argentina; also found in Trinidad and Tobago

Functions primarily as a seed predator and seed disperser within tropical forest canopy ecosystems

Turquoise-fronted Amazon (A. aestiva) which has red in the wing instead of orange, and Mealy Amazon (A. farinosa) which is much larger with duller tones

Despite being common, they are highly social and can gather in roosts of several thousand individuals at sunset

Commonly seen in the exotic pet trade, though wild populations remain stable; historically used by indigenous tribes for decorative featherwork

Look for these feathers near fruiting trees or riverbanks in South America during the molting season (usually after the breeding cycle)

Good condition; showing natural molting characteristics with an intact quill tip and minor separation of the distal barbs