Amazon Hybrids?

I have an Orange Wing and a Red Lored Amazon bonded pair. Despite their best efforts I am NOT going to let them breed (no babies wanted here thankyou!) but am curious if they could actually breed, and if so what would the offspring look like?

Does anyone on here have a hybrid Amazon? Hybrid macaws seem to be all the rage now but I presume this is because of the striking oranges they produce, whereas amazons would still look pretty similar?

Just to be clear, I am not looking for advice on breeding, these birds are NOT having chicks, but I am curious what, if anything, they would make if I let them...

I'm sure they could breed and produce viable young, but I think it's a coin toss what the babies would look like. They could show a blend of traits from both parents, or show primarily traits from one parent with very little 'input' from the other.

I must say, they are absolutely adorable together! Even if they aren't allowed to have babies, you can still let them be a cute little couple

I don't have any experience with amazons, let alone hybrids, but Laura (llabel) has a hybrid. Yellow nape X Blue front I think?

Edit: Here's the link to her thread. http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/45156-not-so-long-ago-far-away-place.html

Yes my newest addition Mojo is a hybrid Yellow nape and Blue front hatched the end of March this year, so still a baby. Coloring right now leans to Blue front I really don't know if he will develop the yellow nape or not. He is large but his dad was a very large blue front.

I see you are in the UK. Here in the US we have feral amazons ,mostly Florida and California. If you were to "Google" feral amazons in the US , i'm sure you would see pics of many hybrids.
http://californiaparrots.us/magic-tree.jpg
five species (4 amazon species) in one tree
http://californiaparrots.us/baby_fly.jpg
baby hybrid BFA/DYH in flight

Thanks guys! Sorry, I have the worst memory ever so will have to use your usernames instead of real names...

Kiwibird, I wasn't sure but thought they might be viable. Would love to know what little Rosie-Roo's would look like! They're not allowed kids but they are a sweet pair and are totally glued to each other- I will do my very best to ensure they live the rest of their lives together (even though they hate me I'm not rehoming them, they're stuck with me)

Labell, Mojo is adorable!! I've reread the post, didn't pick up he was a hybrid when I first saw it. Will be watching to see how he grows!

Henpecked, I was hoping you'd see this I'm struggling with just my phone for Internet access since the unfortunate macaw-red wine-laptop disaster but due to my favorite online store and a well known mobile phone hands free kit manufacturer, all my searches seem to come back with great book deals, car phone kits or some sort of mountain bike 'hybrid' (?!). I didn't know Amazons were now flourishing as non-natives. We have colonies of IRN's in the UK but no amazons. Do they naturally crossbreed? I thought crossbreeds were only when they were 'forced' or put together and didn't occur in the wild, but I've never really looked into it all that much and am curious now mine are trying!


PS, I'm assuming being exposed to extreme 'bird porn' won't traumatise my young B&G macaw??

There is a small colony of amazons breeding in Stuttgart Germany, DYH amazons and 1 or 2 BFA, they rear chicks ok but they are infertile so I believe.
I've seen many pictures/articles about the amazons in the USA, and several cross breeds, sorry no links!!! But yes they can and will if given the opportunity.

Lucy1 if you've not been/seen the ring necks in London, it's worth a visit, it's great!!! I'm all for them.

I've not seen them myself. I'm not really all that far away so guess I should head over!

I watched and then read 'The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill' recently and thought how wonderful that would be. I grew up with loads of wild birds in the garden when I was a kid, but where I live now I'm lucky to see a blackbird, never mind all the garden birds I grew up with

henpecked said:

I see you are in the UK. Here in the US we have feral amazons ,mostly Florida and California. If you were to "Google" feral amazons in the US , i'm sure you would see pics of many hybrids.

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Yep. I see them flying in pairs going home for the evening. Usually one pair, then a minute later another pair or two... Not the whole flock at once. We have large feral flocks of Mitered Conures and maybe some other conures too.

The Amazons are too high up in the sky of course to see any color, but I've heard there are several species flourishing here. I think Lilac Crowns, Mexican Red Head and a couple more. Ones endemic to Mexico and Central America. Makes sense since Southern California is so close.

henpecked said:

I see you are in the UK. Here in the US we have feral amazons ,mostly Florida and California. If you were to "Google" feral amazons in the US , i'm sure you would see pics of many hybrids.

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And if you live in Texas you can see actual wild amazons, not ferals

thekarens said:

And if you live in Texas you can see actual wild amazons, not ferals

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Maybe that's what we have here in SoCal too, wild not feral. Since both Texas and So. California border Mexico.

RavensGryf said:

thekarens said:

And if you live in Texas you can see actual wild amazons, not ferals

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Maybe that's what we have here in SoCal too, wild not feral. Since both Texas and So. California border Mexico.

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That would be my guess. I suppose they are feral in the sense that they are not native, but they aren't escapees. Though I suppose some in both Texas and California come from escapee stock.

A few years ago we had a couple of flamingoes in Texas. One was a wild bird and the other was a zoo escapee and even though they weren't the same species of flamingo they managed to find each other and were hanging out together.

We were told (buy the place we bought our Amazon) that he is a Yellow Nape x Yellow Crowned hybrid, and that they were bred that way in an attempt to develop the best characteristics of the two breeds. (Sweet disposition, and talking ability)

I honestly can't tell the difference, and don't care what he is. I fell in love with his big googly eyes the minute I saw him, and have loved him since. I guess it would be nice to know, but I don't think it's really possible to find out for sure.

thekarens said:

A few years ago we had a couple of flamingoes in Texas. One was a wild bird and the other was a zoo escapee and even though they weren't the same species of flamingo they managed to find each other and were hanging out together.

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Aww, cute. They found each other haha. One was wild, not an escapee? Where'd he come from then? :52:

RavensGryf said:

thekarens said:

A few years ago we had a couple of flamingoes in Texas. One was a wild bird and the other was a zoo escapee and even though they weren't the same species of flamingo they managed to find each other and were hanging out together.

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Aww, cute. They found each other haha. One was wild, not an escapee? Where'd he come from then? :52:

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Speculation is that he/she got blown in by a hurricane.

BirdyMomma said:

We were told (buy the place we bought our Amazon) that he is a Yellow Nape x Yellow Crowned hybrid, and that they were bred that way in an attempt to develop the best characteristics of the two breeds. (Sweet disposition, and talking ability)

......

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Both the YN & YC are great talkers, and both have about the same temperament.

To lucy1: You said you don't want to breed your Amazons. If they are housed together, you may not be able to stop them from "mating" if they are inclined to do so. :54:

JerseyWendy said:

To lucy1: You said you don't want to breed your Amazons. If they are housed together, you may not be able to stop them from "mating" if they are inclined to do so. :54:

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Oh they are *very* much inclined! Roo is quite happy to preen and occasionally feed her but Rosie is relentless. She will display for him and if he doesn't show enough interest she will back him into a corner and practically force him to 'perform'.

They are not showing any nesting behaviour but Rosie is a DNA confirmed female so I'm constantly worried I'm going to find an egg one day, and am paranoid about egg binding. If she does produce eggs they won't be allowed to develop.

Wendy brings up a good point of housing them together. My parents have a pair of bonded amazons (a female DYH and male GCA). They've been paired up for 40 years, but never allowed to breed. They have separate cages that are right next to each other, and are allowed to hang out during the day when someones home (that way, any kind of 'inappropriate affection' or the occasional fight can be broken up)

I'd keep them together. I've never had breeding pairs of amazons lay eggs outside of the nest box, never. I have pairs who haven't had a nest box in many years, they mate several times a day and never lay eggs.Just because they are mating doesn't mean eggs are on the way. mating is just a bonding technique ,similar to preening or allo feeding. if you don't give them a nest, they won't lay eggs. I've never seen a egg bound amazon for that matter either. Yes,i've had pet hens lay an egg, but that's because i let them have a "nest". (before i knew better) BTW we are talking amazons here, not all species are the same.

henpecked said:

I'd keep them together. I've never had breeding pairs of amazons lay eggs outside of the nest box, never. I have pairs who haven't had a nest box in many years, they mate several times a day and never lay eggs.Just because they are mating doesn't mean eggs are on the way. mating is just a bonding technique ,similar to preening or allo feeding. if you don't give them a nest, they won't lay eggs. I've never seen a egg bound amazon for that matter either. Yes,i've had pet hens lay an egg, but that's because i let them have a "nest". (before i knew better) BTW we are talking amazons here, not all species are the same.

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That's interesting about not laying without a box. No eggs even develop in the body though they're mating? If we're supposed to learn one new thing every day, here it is for me

I've never had a mature hen, and in more recent years when getting new birds, I would make sure to get a male to avoid these female reproductive horror stories. I've even passed this fear onto my newbie with birds husband! I know many people who are unfamiliar with hens have this fear... We don't even want to get to know hens because of it LOL! Though I do know hens can be sweeter than males when mature.

I realize you're only talking about Amazons, but now it does seem like these 'egg problems' are more likely to happen in the smaller more prolific species. Perhaps we shouldn't be afraid of this with parrots.