Red-lored Amazon

How to find it

It is common to abundant in partly cleared areas but uncommon in dense forest, so scan open farmland and forest edges. Look in lowland areas where patches of forest are mixed with farms. Listen first for the sharp calls, then watch for quick movement in the trees as a small group passes. Birds are most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon, crossing gaps in the canopy. A fruiting tree is a good place to wait, since it usually occurs in pairs there.

How to recognise it

Look for a fairly large green parrot with a red forehead and red lores.

The crown and nape are pale blue with dark scaling. The face usually shows some yellow. Adults have an orange eye.

Males and females look alike. Young birds show less red on the forehead, less yellow on the cheeks, and a dark eye. Adults are about 32 to 35 cm long, a size given for the species across its whole range.

In flight or perched, look for a red patch on the secondary wing feathers. The outer flight feathers are blue, a useful second check when leaves hide the head or you only get a flyby.

What it sounds like

Recording: Maria Janeiro, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

Like other parrots, it perches on open treetops and calls noisily after feeding. It nests in a hole in a tall, often dead tree or palm stump, and breeds in the dry season.

Across its range, birds travel in pairs or loose flocks and feed mostly high in the treetops. Pairs are often seen flying in the later afternoon, with shallow wing beats. Off the breeding season, birds sleep together at communal roosts, leave early in the morning to feed in different directions and return at dusk.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it uses forest edges, partly cleared land and scattered trees in open areas. It is less often seen in the canopy of dense forest.

It lives in humid forest on the Caribbean lowlands and slopes, locally up to about 800 m. On the southern Pacific slope it reaches about 1000 m. It is a resident of nearly the whole Caribbean side and also occurs in the Central Valley. It is absent from dry northwest Guanacaste, apart from mountain passes in the Cordillera de Guanacaste.

Similar birds

The Mealy Parrot is easily confused with the Red-lored throughout its range, but only the Red-lored has a red forehead. The White-fronted Parrot is smaller, with a white forehead and a yellow bill. It is also more often seen in flocks and is fairly common in dry forest. Costa Rican parrot lists group it as well with the Yellow-naped Parrot as a similar Amazona.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican names include Lora, Lora Copete Rojo and Loro Frentirrojo, and the AOCR list also gives Lora Jupa Roja. Other Spanish names in use are Loro Cachetes Amarillos and Amazona Cachete Amarillo. The Mealy Parrot is called Loro Verde, and also Lora Cabeza Negra or Lora Jupa Gris.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list marks it as a resident (R), and the IUCN rates the species Least Concern across its range, though the population is thought to be declining.

Photography tips

Mostly green, it blends well into leafy treetops, so listen first and then watch for open treetops where it perches. Early morning and late afternoon flights over gaps in the canopy give the best chances, and fruiting trees are good places to wait for a pair. Expect fly-by views at times, as some birds are shy.