The Hispaniolan amazon (Amazona ventralis), also known as the Dominican parrot (Dominican Spanish: cotorra Dominicana) or cuca, it’s one of two endemic parrots to Hispaniola along with the Hispaniolan parakeet. It’s white forehead, pale beak, white eye ring, blue ear patch, and red belly are the key characteristics that set it apart from other amazons.

It was once a common bird of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but during the twentieth century its populations were drastically reduced. Already in the 1930s, this species was restricted mainly to inland forests and mountainous areas. Today the number of parrots is much lower, to the point of being eliminated or being uncommon in most places. It’s becoming more common in urban refuges, such Santo Domingo.

The primary method of introducing the species into Puerto Rico was the release of captive-bred birds as a planned practice for the reintroduction program of the closely related and critically endangered Puerto Rican amazon (A. vittata).

In order to determine whether the José L. Vivaldi Aviary in the Río Abajo forest would be a suitable replacement for the Puerto Rican Parrot Aviary, 30 Dominican parrots (Amazona ventralis) from the Dominican Republic were relocated there in 1989. Any modern occurrence in Puerto Rico, with the final observations taking place in 2007, is partly due to the global parrot trade.