Black Palm Cockatoo
Black Palm Cockatoos are a unique and magnificent species, with their erect crests, bright red naked facial skin and a large imposing beak. The plumage is entirely black but sometimes looks gray due to feather powder. Their beaks do not entirely close, revealing their distinctive red and black tongues.
Palm cockatoos are found primarily in New Guinea and northeastern Australia, inhabiting coastal forests to an elevation of 3,900 feet. They feed on large hard forest seeds including Pandanus, Palm nuts, fruits and buds.Although they aren’t known for their speaking abilities, Palm cockatoos are very gentle by nature. Black Palm Cockatoos will grow to between 20 and 25 inches in length and will weigh between 20 and 35 ounces. They can live up to about 50 years.
One interesting fact is that the color of the cheek patch serves as an indicator of the Palm Cockatoo’s general health. If it appears pale, it suggests that the bird is in poor health or environment. Sunlight is important for the Palm Cockatoo’s good health and it enhances the red color of the cheek patches.
Blue & Gold Macaw
Blue and Gold Macaws are prized for their beauty and personality and are among the largest parrots, with tails almost as long as their bodies. Appropriately named, Blue and Gold Macaws are a brilliant ultramarine blue above and rich gold beneath. They have a black throat that distinguishes them from the Blue-Throated Macaw and, just like us, their facial skin blushes with excitement.
Growing to reach about 30 inches in length, most Blue and Gold Macaws weight between 30 to 45 ounces and live up to 50 years. Blue and Gold Macaws are found throughout most of tropical South America and inhabit forests of many types. They usually fly in pairs or small family groups but sometimes in flocks of up to 25 birds.
American Flamingo
American Flamingos are one of six species of Flamingo found around the world. Flamingos are easily identifiable with their pink feathers, long necks and legs, and a boomerang shaped beak. They are highly social birds which inhabit the shallow water ways of the Galapagos Islands, Southern Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and Northern Caribbean. They are filter feeders that like small crustaceans, insects, mollusks, worms and seeds.
Flamingos can be seen here in South Florida during the winter months. Some scientists believe the South Florida birds are escapees from captivity.
Eclectus Parrot
Eclectus Parrots are unique among parrots in their strikingly dimorphic plumage color. The females’ feathers are a deep red and are coupled with jet-black beaks while the males are brilliant green with yellow-orange beaks. Scientists originally considered them separate species because they looked so strikingly different. Their feathers have a soft, almost fur like appearance, and they have short square tails.
Eclectus Parrots are found in Australia, New Guinea and the South Pacific Islands and can live 30 or more years. They grow to reach about one foot in length and weigh just under a pound. Young Eclectus Parrots have black eyes that change color with age. As they get older, the females’ eyes turn yellow and the males’ eyes become orange. Eclectus Parrots tend to be pretty independent.
Hyacinth Macaw
Hyacinth Macaws are known as the gentle giants, highly prized for their beauty and personality. They are the largest of all parrots with tails almost as long as their bodies. Hyacinth Macaws are an iridescent violet-blue and have bright yellow eye-rings with a matching small yellow facial patch next to the lower beak. Their beaks are large and strong for opening large nuts. They have brown eyes and a yellow-striped tongue.
Hyacinths will grow to reach between 36 to 40 inches in length and weigh around three pounds. While the life span of Hyacinths is not precisely known, it is estimated to be around 50 years. Naturally, Hyacinth Macaws are found in tropical South America but their numbers in the wild are dwindling due to loss of habitat. Some estimates put the wild population at less than 3,000. Their population in captivity is thought to have exceeded that number, because their animated and comical personalities make them popular as pets.
Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaws are prized for their beauty and personality, with a brilliant red plumage, yellow coverts on the wings and dark blue flight feathers. They are among the largest parrots, growing between 32 and 38 inches in length, and have especially long tails.
Scarlet Macaws’ eyes change color over time, transforming from black to gray to white to yellow. This progression is often used to estimate the age of a macaw.
They can be found throughout Central and South America, inhabiting lowland tropical forest and woodlands. While their populations remain stable in the South American continent, their habitats are being destroyed throughout Central America, causing them to be considered endangered in that region.
Yellow-naped Amazons
Yellow-naped Amazons are one of the most popular and well known of all Amazons. The bright green birds have a yellow patch at the nape of the neck, and are best known for their ability to talk and mimic sounds.
In nature, Yellow-naped Amazons can be found in Central America where they inhabit arid savannahs, scrubland, semi-arid woodlands and pine forests. Unfortunately, their numbers are decreasing because of the destruction of these habitats.
Adults measure about 15 inches in length and weigh around one pound. An interesting fact about these birds is that the eyes of the young ones are brown and then change color to become an orange-yellow when they are full-grown. Most Yellow-naped Amazons are entirely green until they reach approximately 4 years old, when their yellow nape emerges. They can live up to 50 years or even longer.
Jungle Island is also proud to be the home of a rare blue version of this Amazon.
