Pi and Zon owners... Please come forward : )

Something I'm curious about. I may have read at some time or another about this, but I don't remember... and I know there are plenty of you out there to ask anyway

Pionus and Amazons are said to be genetically very closely related. I've had two Bronze Winged Pionus (one is my Raven), and I've had a Cuban Amazon, all who did/do this "puff of smell".

What IS that sour-ish musty type of smell that the pi's and zons puff out? I admit I've never researched much about that, and what I may have heard in the past I honestly don't recall. I think it indicates moods? I think Raven may even do it when resting. I don't like the smell personally... I just breathe out and say phheww!! My husband nicknamed Raven "stinky" lol. Now I LOVE the feather smell, but not the puff that seems to come out of the nares or mouth or somewhere up there!

I can't really answer your question, but I've always thought that pionus and amazons were closely related. In fact, I was wondering if there would ever be a hybrid between the two genera.

Oddly enough, the first amazon hybrid I heard of, with a non-amazon species, was with a conure.


2012 | Papegaaien rijden scheve schaats



I have yet to come across a pionus hybrid outside of it's genera.

Amazon and conure sounds as strange as a horse and zebra which exists. Or lions and tigers. Tigons or Ligers depending on which is the mom and dad. I forget which is which.

If it starts with an L, the lion was the father.... And T if the father was a Tiger. I think the amazon x conure is even more strange than the ones you've mentioned! And I've seen/heard of other strange hybrids as well.


Sorry though, don't mean to go OT!

That smell should be bottled and sold....and I would be happy to spray it all over me. I truly LOVE that scent. Both my Hunter and Sam "emit" it when they get excited. Sam does it a whole lot more than my Hunter, so I'm constantly inhaling him, LOL.

No, all kidding aside, I believe this is some sort of pheromone that they emit at will. I never knew Pionus had a similar scent. Does it smell the same as the Amazon's?

And boy did I EVER cringe when I saw the Amazon hybrid. Now I speak and read a bit of Dutch, but not nearly enough to understand everything that was written on the site Monica linked to. <shudders>

@Wendy- That article basically says a female amazon and male conure at a zoo who were housed in a large aviary with multiple species of parrots. The female was already a proven breeder with a male amazon, but apparently she decided to cheat on him. The female zon and male conure mated and produced the bird in the picture. The zookeepers thought the male amazon was the father until the chick started growing in unusual feather colors. The chick is apparently healthy and happy, though I'm sure the deceived "husband" is not. At least it was a 'natural' occurrence and not some experiment

As for the musk odor- I always assumed it was a pheromone or chemical they released when happy. Kiwi makes it all the time, I find it rather pleasant smelling. Don't try to explain to non-bird people though how good your parrot smells when it produces musk:52: You'll be looked at as though you've sprouted a second head!

I will never forget how my Amazon Bacci smelled. The scent seemed to come when he was at his happiest, playing, or snuggling with me. I think once you come to associate that smell with a happy bird, who is emitting that odor because you have made him content, that you will grow to love it

I find Talli's musky smell to be stronger than the zons smells...not sure if it is because he is happier to see me than they are, or what. He smells strongly when ever he is excited, either happy or scared. I love that smell

Kiwibird is right about the conure/zon hybrid. Similar situation as to the first galah x cockatiel hybrid....

Although I have heard of one or two other successful amazon x conure hybrids (not two birds, but mixes of different species - as far as fertile eggs go), I have yet to see pictures of any other hybrids. (hatched and thriving)




They say that parrots have a very poor sense of smell, and yet I wonder how much the pionus and amazon smell has to do with mating rituals and finding a mate.

That zon/conure hybrid was weird! It's body, beak shape, color looked exactly like both. I've seen the Galah/Cockatiel pic before too.

Wendy - from what I can remember about the zon, the puff did smell like the same type of odor as Pionus.
It's the sweet dried grass FEATHER smell that I love..... NOT that sour-ish musty, musk they emit Eww:11: if they bottled it like you said and you wore it, I'd think you stunk and would run away LOL

Terry I think that's it, it puffs out over emotion. Whether happy, excited, scared, etc.