Red Color Mutation of the Blue-fronted Amazon

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The first of these breathtakingly beautiful, previously un-described color mutations of the Blue- fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) was hatched on 5/6/04 at Voren’s Aviaries Inc. It was the first Amazon mutation of its kind to be hatched in captivity. It came from a normal appearing domestically bred pair that by majority produces normally colored offspring.

In his travels, Voren had previously encountered two Amazon specimens with this same color mutation. The first was at the Baranquilla Zoo, Colombia S.A. in 1980 and was a Yellow-crowned Amazon. Several years later it was reported that the bird had disappeared from the zoo. The second was a decade later when he encountered a Yellow-naped Amazon that had been the long-term house pet of a cattle rancher in Olancho, Honduras. This incredible adult bird, with a full pink nape, was sent to the USDA Pet Bird Quarantine facility in Miami. Unfortunately, it tested positive for Newcastle virus and was denied entry.

This new color mutation’s unique characteristics are created by the production of red pigments which change the yellows to pinks and greens to browns. All blue coloration remains unchanged. The depth of the pink or brown is dictated by how deep the underlying yellow or green coloration would have been.

As of 2009 there have been four more offspring with this same color mutation, produced by the same pair. Of the five birds, one is a male and the other four are females. A female hatched in 2005 laid her first fertile egg in 2009 with an unrelated normally colored male. Their normally colored female offspring has been held back in order to perpetuate the line.

These Chocolate Raspberry Blue-Front’s are not only beautiful, they are the rarest Amazon color mutation in the world.

Serious inquiries regarding this unusual and rare color mutation Amazon can be sent to [email protected].