THE DOUBLE YELLOW-HEADED PARROT 



{Ainazona oratrix.) 



The Double Yellow-headed Parrots 

 inhabit Mexico. The forests of their 

 range abound in trees of many kinds 

 bearing nuts and fruits, upon which 

 they feed. Not infrequently these Par- 

 rots will also visit corn fields, for they 

 seem to be very fond of the kernels of 

 corn. In the fields they are frequently 

 caught by the owners and sold, but the 

 adult Parrots caught in this manner 

 rarely become fully tame in captivity, 

 and do not learn to talk well. This Par- 

 rot to become a good mimic of the hu- 

 man voice and a good talker, must be 

 raised from the nest by the hand of its 

 keeper. It is said that by the time it is 

 able to eat alone, and if it has been 

 friendly with its keeper, it will have 

 learned to repeat some words and possi- 

 bly a few sentences. These Parrots are 

 hardy birds and become easily acclima- 

 ted in other places than their natural 

 habitat. They do not resort to water 

 courses to any extent, for in their habi- 

 tat the dews are heavy and the leaves be- 

 come saturated with water. These the 

 Parrots suck at their roosting places be- 

 fore they leave in search of food. In 

 captivity, however, they should be fur- 

 nished with water. In some places 

 abroad, it has been thought that these 

 Parrots can live without water and it 

 was not furnished to the captives for a 

 long time. It was soon demonstrated, 

 however, that the birds suffered, and un- 

 less they were given water, did not re- 

 main active and died quite soon. 



It is said by the observers of these Par- 



rots that they do not build a nest, but 

 that deep hollows in high tree trunks 

 are selected by the females. At the bot- 

 tom of these hollows their two eggs are 

 laid. The Parrots are wise birds, and 

 not only are their eggs laid in places 

 where they are free from usual dangers 

 but the birds are also very careful not 

 to betray the locations of their nests by 

 their actions. The forests frequented by 

 these Parrots are also the homes of many 

 species of birds which are beautiful be- 

 cause of their richly colored plumage. 

 It is said that there are nearly thirty 

 species of parrots which range from 

 Mexico southward through Central 

 America, and also from the West Indies 

 southward to Bolivia and Paraguay. 



The Double Yellow-headed Parrot in- 

 habits a wild and picturesque region of 

 swamps, jungles, and savannahs and is 

 greatly admired by those who frequent 

 such localities. By many this species is 

 considered one of the best of the talking 

 parrots found in the Americas. The 

 parents, while feeding their young, utter 

 clucking sounds which are answered by 

 the young birds. 



It seems strange that in spite of the 

 abundance of this species of parrots as 

 well as the large number of individuals 

 of many of the species, that so little has 

 been published regarding their, wild 

 habits. It is said that the live birds of 

 the species we illustrate will net the hun- 

 ters about twenty dollars each when cap- 

 tured and sold. 



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