How to Adopt an Amazon Parrot in the United States

Pet for Adoption6 min read
A rescue volunteer showing a blue-fronted Amazon parrot to a family

To adopt an Amazon parrot in the United States, decide first whether your home can live with a loud, long-lived parrot, then apply to a parrot rescue, a shelter or an owner offering Amazons for adoption, pass their interview and home check, and sign an adoption contract. Expect a fee of a few hundred dollars, such as $350 at Phoenix Landing, and an avian vet visit in the first weeks.

Adoption suits Amazons well, because you can hear and handle an adult before you commit, and many adults need homes: VCA Animal Hospitals notes that some become too aggressive to handle in the mating season and are given away to shelters.

Key points

  • Rescue fees for Amazons are typically $100 to $300 (The Vet Desk); Phoenix Landing lists $350 and Foster Parrots asks a $200 placement fee.
  • Expect an application, an interview, a home visit and often a foster-to-adopt period.
  • An adult's species, age or sex may be guessed rather than known, so ask how the rescue knows.
  • Ask how the bird behaves in spring; VCA says Amazons are known for mating-season aggression toward their owners.
  • The Merck Veterinary Manual gives Amazons an average lifespan of 40 to 50 years, so an adult may still have decades ahead.

Is an adopted Amazon parrot right for your home?

Merck describes most Amazons as great talkers and singers, and loud, and says they can be moody and often bond closely to one person. VCA adds that some species squawk loudly in the early morning and late afternoon, so visit at those times. If you share walls, check your lease first; Foster Parrots, for example, does not place large or highly vocal parrots with people who rent or share walls.

What to plan for with an adopted Amazon (sources as noted)
NeedWhat to plan for
CageAt least 36 x 24 x 48 inches for one bird, bars ¾ to 1 inch apart (PetMD)
DietPellets about 60 to 70 percent, vegetables and greens most of the rest, fruit under 10 percent (VCA)
Vet careCheck-ups twice a year (VCA)
NoiseLoud calls, often early morning and late afternoon (VCA)
LifespanAverage 40 to 50 years (Merck)
Adoption feeTypically $100 to $300 (The Vet Desk); $350 at Phoenix Landing

Where can you adopt an Amazon parrot in the US?

  • Parrot rescues often place birds through foster homes, so someone has lived with the bird. Phoenix Landing serves Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida; Foster Parrots is a Rhode Island sanctuary accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries; Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue in the San Francisco Bay Area adopts only within California.
  • Shelters and humane societies sometimes take in Amazons; staff may know less about the bird, so ask more questions.
  • Owners who can no longer keep an Amazon often list it for adoption themselves.

You can browse Amazon parrots for adoption on PetzLover, filter by location and save a search to hear about new listings. Directories such as Petfinder also list bird rescues by location.

How does Amazon parrot adoption work?

  1. Read the rescue's requirements and fill in its application: household, housing, schedule, experience, cage and avian vet.
  2. Take part in a phone or video interview.
  3. Allow a home visit or a video walkthrough of where the cage will stand.
  4. Meet the Amazon more than once and handle it under the foster's guidance.
  5. Expect a foster-to-adopt period with some rescues; Phoenix Landing's fees apply to birds placed that way.
  6. Sign the adoption contract and pay the fee.
  7. Book an avian vet exam soon after the move.

What should you ask about an adoptable Amazon's species and history?

  • Which species is it, and is that known or guessed? Adults are easier to name than chicks: a double yellow-head has yellow over the whole head, a yellow-nape a yellow patch on the back of the neck, and a blue-front blue on the forehead.
  • How old is it? Dr. Susan Clubb, an avian veterinarian, notes that adult Amazons have orange-yellow eyes and juveniles brown ones.
  • Is the sex known from a DNA test?
  • Why was it given up, and how many homes has it had?
  • How does it behave in spring? Clubb writes that mature birds, especially males, may become aggressive, and puts the breeding season roughly from February or March to June or July in North America.
  • Does it bond to one person? VCA says this one-to-one bond occasionally leads to aggression toward others.
  • What does it eat, and what does it weigh?
  • What vet records come with it?

How much does it cost to adopt an Amazon parrot?

  • Adoption fee: typically $100 to $300 (The Vet Desk, January 2026). Phoenix Landing lists $350 for Amazons and says its fees do not begin to cover its costs; Foster Parrots asks a $200 placement fee.
  • Setup: typically $630 to $700 if no cage is included.
  • Ongoing: $55 to $130 a month for food, health care and toys.

Ask whether the cage, play stand and carrier come with the bird. Compare with a breeder's typical $1,000 to $3,000; see how to buy an Amazon parrot if you would rather raise a young bird.

How do you help an adopted Amazon settle in?

An adopted blue-fronted Amazon parrot in a large cage with toys and perches
  • Keep it apart from your other birds until your avian vet clears it; the CDC notes that birds can carry psittacosis without looking sick.
  • Keep its old diet at first, then move toward pellets slowly; VCA advises weaning over two to six weeks and weighing the bird on a gram scale, because Amazons on all-seed diets commonly develop obesity and fatty liver disease.
  • Give it climbing branches and chew toys; VCA says Amazons are very playful and enjoy climbing and chewing.
  • Watch its eyes: VCA warns that an over-excited Amazon flashing its eyes is more prone to bite.
  • Expect a new Amazon to be quiet, loud or nippy for a while, and let it come to you.
  • Plan for its future: the ASPCA describes pet trusts as one legal way to provide for a pet after your death or disability.

Owners and rescues placing a bird will find their side in how to list an Amazon parrot for adoption. For a private placement, see how to take in a rehomed Amazon parrot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to adopt an Amazon parrot?

Rescue fees are typically $100 to $300, according to The Vet Desk; Phoenix Landing lists $350 and Foster Parrots asks $200. Budget separately for a cage and an avian vet check.

Can a first-time bird owner adopt an Amazon?

Some rescues accept a well-prepared beginner, and others want parrot experience for a loud or nippy bird. Ask the rescue to match you with a calm adult and to show you how to read its body language.

Why are so many Amazons in rescue?

They live for decades and are loud, so many outlive their homes or their owners' patience. VCA also notes that some become too aggressive to handle in the mating season and are given away.

What if the rescue does not know the Amazon's species or age?

That is common with adults. Compare the head and wing colors with species profiles, ask your avian vet, and choose the bird for its health and behavior rather than its label.

Do adopted Amazons come with papers?

Often only a leg band and vet records, sometimes nothing. No federal permit is needed to keep the common pet species, but ask for whatever history there is.

How long will an adopted Amazon live?

Merck gives an average of 40 to 50 years, and World Parrot Trust profiles list 50 to 60 years for several species. Name a caregiver now.