Amazon parrots
Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Superfamily:	Psittacoidea
Family:	Psittacidae
Subfamily:	Arinae
Tribe:	Androglossini
Genus:	Amazona Lesson, 1830
Diversity
c. 30 species[1]

Festive Amazon (Amazona festiva), illustration by Keulemans, 1891

Amazon parrot is the common name for a parrot of the genus Amazona. These are medium-size parrots native to the New World ranging from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Most Amazon parrots are predominantly green, with accenting colors that depend on the species and can be quite vivid. They feed primarily on seeds, nuts, and fruits, supplemented by leafy matter.

Many Amazon parrots have a remarkable ability to mimic human speech and other sounds. Partly because of this they are popular as pets or companion parrots, and a small industry has developed in breeding parrots in captivity for this market. This popularity has led to many parrots being taken from the wild to the extent that some species have become threatened. CITES treaties have made trapping wild parrots for the pet trade illegal to protect wild populations.

Classification[link]

• Cuban Amazon, Amazona leucocephala
• Yellow-billed Amazon, Amazona collaria
• Hispaniolan Amazon, Amazona ventralis
• Puerto Rican Amazon, Amazona vittata
• Yucatan Amazon, Amazona xantholora
• White-fronted Amazon, Amazona albifrons
• Black-billed Amazon, Amazona agilis
• Tucumán Amazon, Amazona tucumana
• Red-spectacled Amazon, Amazona pretrei
• Red-crowned Amazon, Amazona viridigenalis
• Lilac-crowned Amazon, Amazona finschi
• Red-lored Amazon, Amazona autumnalis
  • Lilacine Amazon, Amazona autumnalis lilacina
• Blue-cheeked Amazon, Amazona dufresniana
• Red-browed Amazon, Amazona rhodocorytha
• Red-tailed Amazon, Amazona brasiliensis
• Festive Amazon, Amazona festiva
• Yellow-shouldered Amazon, Amazona barbadensis
• Blue-fronted Amazon, Amazona aestiva
• Yellow-crowned Amazon, Amazona ochrocephala
  • Panama Amazon, Amazona ochrocephala panamensis
• Yellow-naped Amazon, Amazona auropalliata
• Yellow-headed Amazon, Amazona oratrix
• Kawall's Amazon, Amazona kawalli
• Orange-winged Amazon, Amazona amazonica
• Scaly-naped Amazon, Amazona mercenaria
• Mealy Amazon, Amazona farinosa
• Vinaceous-breasted Amazon, Amazona vinacea
• St. Lucia Amazon, Amazona versicolor
• Red-necked Amazon, Amazona arausiaca
• St. Vincent Amazon, Amazona guildingii
• Imperial Amazon, Amazona imperialis

The taxonomy of the Yellow-crowned Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala complex) is disputed, with some authorities only listing a single species (A. ochrocephala), while others split it into as many as three species (A. ochrocephala, A. auropalliata and A. oratrix). The split is primarily based on differences related to extension of yellow to the plumage and the colour of bill and legs. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA do not support the traditional split.^[2]

Re-classification of the Yellow-faced Parrot[link]

The Yellow-faced Parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops) was traditionally placed within this genus of Amazon parrots, but recent research has shown that it is closer to the Short-tailed Parrot and the species from the genus Pionus, resulting in it being transferred to the monotypic genus Alipiopsitta.^[3][4]

Hypothetically extinct species[link]

Populations of Amazon parrots that lived on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe are now extinct. It is not known if they were separate species, subspecies, or if they originated form parrots introduced to the islands by humans, and so they are regarded as hypothetical extinct species. There are no surviving remains of them, and their taxonomy may never be established. Populations of several parrot species were described mainly in the unscientific writings of early travelers, and subsequently scientifically described by several naturalists (to have their names linked to the species that they were proposing) mainly in the twentieth century, with no more evidence than the earlier observations and without specimens.^[5]

• Martinique Amazon, Amazona martinica (hypothetical extinct species). A.H. Clark, 1905.^[5]
• Guadeloupe Amazon, Amazona violacea (hypothetical extinct species). Originally called Psittacus violaceus by J.F. Gmelin in 1789.^[5]

Aviculture[link]

Orange-winged Amazons in a cage with toys

The Yellow-headed Amazon, Yellow-naped Amazon, Orange-winged Amazon, and Blue-fronted Amazon are some of the Amazon parrot species which are commonly kept as pets. Amazon parrots, together with macaws, and the African Grey Parrot are all known for their exceptional vocal abilities, playfulness, and dexterity with their feet. Hand reared parrots are very loyal companions, and they can live for 50 years or more in captivity. However, some amazons—even well trained ones—can be aggressive during mating season. In order to maintain health and happiness, pet parrots require much more attention than domesticated animals such as dogs or cats. They require communication, manipulative toys, supervised time out of the cage, and so forth, or they may develop self-destructive behaviors. They have a strong, innate need to chew, and thus require safe, destructible toys.

Gallery[link]

• Extant species
• 

  Yellow-headed Amazon
  (Amazona oratrix)

• 

  Cuban Amazon
  (Amazona leucocephala)

• 

  Red-lored Amazon
  (Amazona autumnalis)

• 

  St. Vincent Amazon
  (Amazona guildingii)

• 

  White-fronted Amazon male
  (Amazona albifrons)

• 

  Red-crowned Amazon
  (Amazona viridigenalis)

• 

  Lilac-crowned Amazon
  (Amazona finschi)

• 

  Puerto Rican Amazon
  (Amazona vittata)

• Hypothetical extinct species
• 

  Martinique Amazon
  (Amazona martinica)

• 

  Guadeloupe Amazon
  (Amazona violacea)

References[link]

• Caparroz, R. and J.F. Pacheco, 2006: A homonymy in Psittacidae a new name for Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro. Ararajuba: Rev. Brasileira de Ornitologia. V. 14, n 2, pp. 91–93.

External links[link]

• The Amazona Society
• Amazon Parrot Training
• Amazon Parrots Article

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amazona

India (born March 9, 1969), known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" (engl. "The Princess of Salsa"), is a singer of salsa and House music. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.

Early years[link]

Caballero (birth name: Linda Viera Caballero) was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to New York City soon after her birth, and settled down in the South Bronx area of the city. They moved in with Caballero's grandmother, a woman who served as an important influence on Caballero's life. Her stage name "India" was given to Caballero by her grandmother because of her dark features and long straight black hair.^[1]

India[link]

In 1985, when Caballero was 14 years old, she was a founding member of the Latin freestyle group TKA and was featured on the cover of TKA's second single, "Come Get My Love". She left shortly thereafter.^[2]

Caballero signed a record contract with Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which planned on marketing her as the Latin version of Madonna (who recorded for sister label Sire Records). After recording the album Breaking Night, Caballero decided that she didn't want to take that route in her career.^[1][2]

First salsa album[link]

An important event took place when she accompanied her husband to a studio recording. Salsa band leader Eddie Palmieri happened to visit the studio and was impressed with Caballero when he heard her singing. In 1992, Palmieri produced Caballero's first Spanish-language salsa album Llego la India via Eddie Palmieri (The India has Arrived via Eddie Palmieri), which was acclaimed as one of the best salsa albums of the year. From then on Caballero became known to all as India.^[2]

In 1994, India together with Louie Vega recorded a house-music single "Love and Happiness" (Yemaya y Ochún) that paid tribute to Santería (a syncretic religion based in the Caribbean). This up-beat house track was played heavily in dance club's internationally. India's involvement with Santería drew much criticism. She later recorded Dicen Que Soy (They Say that I Am) which was a 2x gold-certified Billboard hit and included the song "Vivir Lo Nuestro", a duet with Marc Anthony. Later this same year Combinación Perfecta. was released.^[1]

India, the Princess of Salsa[link]

External audio
	You may listen to India sing "Seduceme" here.

In 1996, India worked with Tito Puente on Jazzin, an English-language album of swing classics with a Latin twist on RMM Records. That same year she contributed the song "Banderas" to the album entitled Voces Unidas (United Voices), a multi-artist tribute to the 1996 Summer Olympics. She also released India: Mega Mix that same year before divorcing Vega. India sang a duet titled "La Voz de la Experiencia" (The Voice of Experience) with Celia Cruz, the late Queen of Salsa. It was then that Cruz gave Caballero her longer name: India the Princess of Salsa. In 1997, India recorded "Sobre el Fuego" (Over the Fire) with Puerto Rican salsa singer Kevin Ceballo as backup. The song was nominated for Best Latin Tropical Performance Grammy Award. In 1998, she won an ACE Award.^[2]

On May 31, 1998, India gave two sold-out concerts at the Luis A. Ferre Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She returned to the United States and Cable Channel UPN aired one of her shows. India also held concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and in El Festival de la Calle Ocho in Miami, Florida. In September 1999, India released her album Sola, which earned her great reviews for the single "Sola" and for covers of two hits by the late Cuban sensation La Lupe "Que Te Pedi" and "Si Vuelves Tu."^[1]

On February 5, 2000, a full-page ad in Billboard Magazine congratulated India for her second Grammy Award nomination. In March 2000, she was featured in Vibe Magazine. In 2003, India released Latin Songbird: Mi Alma y Corazón. The album's lead single "Sedúceme" became a hit on the Latin charts and topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for several weeks. This romantic salsa hit single was India's first number-one song. The song brought her a new fan base with many awards and nominations, including two Latin Grammy nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song in 2003, and her third Grammy Award nomination for Best Salsa Album in 2004.^[3]

In 2005, India participated in the musical presentation Selena ¡VIVE!, a tribute to the late Tejano sensation Selena Quintanilla-Perez. In 2006, India released the album Soy Diferente, which contained two songs that became award-winning hits. The 2007 Annual Latin Billboard Awards honored India with Best Tropical Album of the Year Female for "Soy Diferente" (I Am Different), and Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year for "Solamente Una Noche" (Just For One Night). In 2007, India collaborated with Latin sensation Gloria Estefan in a duet titled "90 Millas."^[3]

India is set to release her ninth studio album in 2010, which will propel her music to various European and Asian countries. India mentioned to the Associated Press, "I am reinventing myself...changing my physical image. India will return to become a Barbie. But more than that, I feel like a new woman because I have been blessed with many beautiful things. After many years, I have my family with me and I am not separated from my mother, in which I suffered greatly. I have her in my life and that brings inner peace that I haven't had in a long time."

On February 23, 2010, India's newest single "Estupida" was released on iTunes. The single was recorded in two versions, a salsa version and a ballad version.India filmed a video for both versions were been released. The song debuted on the tropical billboard charts at #10 and made it to #1 in just a couple of weeks. India's ninth studio album, Unica, was released June 1, 2010.

In 2011 India still continues to release new music. India's latest songs include a duet with Issac Delgado titled, "Que no se te olvide" which has four different versions, one salsa, another an extended salsa mix, one a bachata version, and another a New York Pop version. In 2011, India released a new house track titled, "Tacalacateo" which she worked on with Italian DJ, Peppe Citarella. Tacalacateo peaked at #13 on the Billboards dance tracks.

Awards and recognition[link]

On June 11, 2006, India was honored by Union City, New Jersey with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's Celia Cruz Park.^[4]

Discography[link]

This section may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (April 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

Among India's recordings are the following:

Studio albums (new material)[link]

• 1990: Breaking Night
• 1992: Llego la India Via Eddie Palmieri
• 1994: Dicen Que Soy
• 1996: Jazzin' with Tito Puente
• 1997: Sobre el Fuego
• 1999: Sola
• 2002: Latin Songbird: Mi Alma Y Corazón
• 2006: Soy Diferente
• 2010: Unica

Albums Chart performance[link]

Compilations[link]

• Love and Happiness EP (with River Ocean) (1993)
• India Megamix (1997)
• The Best of India (2004)
• Grandes Exitos + (2005)
• Cant Get No Sleep 09 EP (2009)
• Music is My Life Transalatins Fet: India (2009)

Contributions on other recordings[link]

• With Tony Humphries
  • Keith Thompson - Rhythm of Life

• With Masters At Work
  • 1992 - Ride On The Rhythm by Louie Vega & Marc Anthony (Wrote/Background vocals)
  • 1993 - When You Touch Me and I Can't Get No Sleep (from "The Album")
  • 1994 - Voices In My Mind by Voices (India, Carol Sylvan, Michael Watford)
  • 1994 - Vibe P.M. (Masters at Work Remix) (featured with Mondo Grosso)
  • 1998 - To Be In Love (MAW Remix) (from MAW Records: The Collection Volume I)
  • 1998 - Runaway (from "Nuyorican Soul")
  • 2002 - Backfired (from "Our Time Is Coming")
• RMM Combinacion Perfecta
  • 1994 - Vivir Lo Nuestro (duet with Marc Anthony)
• Li'l Mo Ying Yang
  • 1995 Reach (Samples "Love & Happiness")
• Voces Unidas: The Atlanta Olympics
  • 1996 - Banderas
• JohNick - Play The World EP
  • 1996 - Play The World (Samples "Love & Happiness")
• With Oscar D'León
  • 1997 - Hazme El Amor (from "En Nueva York")
• The Last Days of Disco Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  • 1998 - I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)
• The 24-Hour Woman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  • 1999 - India Con La Voe (Viva Puerto Rico)
• Haus-A-Holics - Latin Spice EP
  • 2001 - Que Pasa by Haus-A-Holics (Samples from "Oye Como Va" with Tito Puente Jr.)
• Empire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  • 2003 - Empire, Imperio
• With Tito Nieves, Nicky Jam, and K-Mil
  • 2004 - Ya No Queda Nada
• Tribute to Selena
  • 2005 - No Debes Jugar (from "Selena Vive")
• With Marlon Fernández
  • 2006 - Usted Abusó (from "Mi Sueño")
• With R.K.M & Ken-Y, Polaco, Nicky Jam, and Carlitos Way
  • 2006 - Tocarte Toda
• With Gloria Estefan
  • 2007 - 90 Millas (from 90 Millas)
• With Michael Stuart
  • 2007 - Un Amor Tan Grande (from Sentimiento De Un Rumbero)
• With Yolandita Monge
  • 2008 - Mala (Tropical Remix) (from "Mala")
• With Tito "El Bambino"
  • 2009 - El Amor (Salsa Remix) (from "El Patron")
• Single "Estupida"
  • 2010 - Estupida (Salsa Version) (Single from 2010 album, Unica)
  • 2010 - Estupida (Ballada Version) (Single from 2010 album, Unica)
• With Issac Delgado
  • 2011-Maxi Single "Que No Se Te Olvide"
• With Peppe Citarella
  • 2011-Maxi Single "Tacalacateo"
• With Tito Rojas
  • 2011- "Maldito Y Bendito Amor" (Salsa Version)
  • 2011- "Maldito Y Bendito Amor" (Ballad Version)

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal

• List of Puerto Ricans

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Popular Culture