Conures, parrots from Central and South America

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    Conures: The Little Clowns from the Americas 

    Conures are large parakeets native to Central and South America. The extinct Carolina Parakeet was the exception, as it was the only parrot species that was indigenous to the United States. 

    Description:

    For parrots, conures are lightly built, with long tails (Conure literally means ‘cone tail’) . They come in a diverse range of colors. Their beaks always have a small cere and are usually horn-colored or black.

    They reach maturity at 1 to 3 years — the smaller species mature more quickly. In a safe, healthy environment, they can expect to live up to 35 years. 

    Species

    The more common, or well-known, species are the following:

    Prices range from $75 to several thousands for larger and rarer genus members. 

    Green-cheeked Conure (Pyrrhura molinae) - Turquoise mutation

    Personality / Pet Potential

    Conures are clowny birds. We love them for their great sense of humor, their fun-loving personality. With a little training, they usually can easily be trained to do tricks. Most may learn to talk. These birds, in general, love to snuggle under things, so providing them with a tightly woven wash cloth, soft piece of fabric, or fuzzy toy will be appreciated. A bird tent as a place to sleep and hand out is usually eagerly accepted and treasured. As they like to climb under pillows and blankets, care needs to be taken not to accidentally smother them.

    They make great birds for those who don’t mind the occasional (or NOT so occasional) screeching outburst. This is something to be considered when thinking of adding one to your family. They can be VERY noisy and can also be nippy, if not trained and socialized properly. They do enjoy learning new tricks and can be very entertaining. They love to dance and can also be taught to go the toilet with a simple command such as “toilet” or “poop” .

    These parrots do require more time and effort than say a cockatiel or budgie. Please keep this in mind. Owners report that they are smart and interactive, but are also more prone to behavioral problems than are cockatiels or budgies. They all require a committed owner who will work with their pets to guide their behavior, while cockatiels and budgies are “beginner birds.”  

    They are known for their cuddliness.

    However, individual differences do exist, as some will accept cuddling only on their terms. But these are the exception to the rule. Most seem to thoroughly enjoy cuddling whenever their favorite human is available.

    They love to play!

    These parrots are very active and like to play, explore and chew. Lots of toys are recommended to keep their beaks from “getting busy” on your furniture.

    • Toys can also be things that I bet you never thought were toys at all! Please refer to the foraging page for easy, inexpensive or FREE tips to entertain your pet.

    They are Smart!

    Most will hold their own with any of the mid-sized or medium-large parrots in terms of smartness.  They can be taught simple tricks pretty easily and more complicated tricks with some training.

    Nanday Conure

    How much attention do they need?

    Like all parrots, they are social birds. They do require daily interaction with their social group, entertainment, things to do — or else they will become bored and develop behavioral problems. In the wild, they would never leave the company of their flockmates.  In a captive pet situation, a hand-fed bird requires the same social interaction from you and your family.

    If you have little time to give, a parrot would not be a good choice for you.   

    You would need someone at home several hours a day at a minimum, preferably someone should be home most of the day. I would recommend that there be people at home, with the bird, for at least several hours every day or the majority of day. 

    It’s best to keep your pet where the center of activity is, usually the family room, and leave the cage door open or allow your pet to be on a playpen whenever someone is at home.  During this time some direct interaction should be provided, such as talking to your pet, petting it, or placing it on your shoulder while you surf the internet, watch tv or go about your other activities. My parrot even joins me in the gym! 

    Most appreciate a daily misting / being lightly sprayed with warm water. Additionally offering a shallow bowl of water for them to bathe in will also help keep the dander down in the environment.

    One has to remember that in the confinement of our homes, pollutants will collect in much greater density than they ever would in the wild. Especially in small, poorly ventilated spaces pollutants – such as dander, dried droppings and skin/feather mites – can be a major issue, daily ventilation (opening windows and doors) is the best and cheapest way to get fresh air into your home.

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      If that is not possible — an air filtration system should be considered for those who are concerned about their pets as well as their own health.

      Conure Info / Conures as PetsIndex of Conure SpeciesPhotos of the Different Conure Species for IdentificationConures as PetsCommon Health Problems of ConureConure Nutrition / Foods

      Do they make good family pets?

      In general, conures make good family pets as long as they have been well socialized. They don’t mind a lot of activity – in fact, the more “fun stuff” is going on, the more entertained and happier they tend to be.

      They usually get along well with all family members, although they are likely to eventually choose a favorite; but as long as they are exposed to, and socialized by, other family members, they should maintain their friendliness with the others. They love to be touched and handled – another reason why they often do well with kids.

      Pyrrhura Conures

      However, they go through nippy phases that can be hard on children as well as on adults.  Teaching the child appropriate handling of the parrot will help prevent some painful experiences – however, it will never entirely eliminate them. The tamest pet bird gets startled and bites – without this being a true reflection on its personality.

      It’s a natural reaction. Experienced pet owners learn to read the body language of their pets and can avoid most of these “accidental encounters.” Training is important to prevent an accidental bite from turning into a behavioral problem.

      It is difficult to instruct smaller children on proper parrot handling, and their interactions with these birds should always be supervised.

      But children who have learned to handle the pet gently and confidently usually don’t have a big problem with aggression. How well the child-parrot interaction goes really depends on the maturity level of the child, as well as the proper socialization-level of the parrot.

      Admittedly though, some genetics come into play as well. Some individual parrots are more aggressive than others. Often this is a family trait and one parrot pair produces sweet babies, while others produce nippy offspring. Sweet babies can turn nippy, if not socialized well, and nippy (usually nervous / fearful birds) can be taught to be good family pets.

      Birds do pick up on stress and anger that we humans may feel and this can impact their personality and likelihood to be aggressive towards us. It is always best to approach a bird calmly and focus on, and enjoy, the interaction with the parrot rather than reflecting on problems in your life.

      Doing so will actually be conducive to your own health, as it will help you relax.

      There never will be a guarantee that a meaningful relationship between the children in the family and the pet parrot develops and if things don’t go well, it may end up being a pet for the adults only.  For this reason, it is not recommended to buy a parrot as a pet for the kids – this needs to be a family pet, with the adults taking on most of the responsibility.

      Listing of Conure Species with Links to Species Information Pages

       

      Male Abyssinian lovebird

      Here is our comprehensive list of Conure species and sub-species, with links to informational pages and photos for each species on this page.

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        Blue-crowned Conure

        Conure Info / Conures as PetsIndex of Conure SpeciesPhotos of the Different Conure Species for IdentificationConures as PetsCommon Health Problems of ConureConure Nutrition / Foods


        The Most Common Captive Conure Species

        The more common, or well-known, Conure species are the following:


        For all others, please scroll down:

        A

        Andean Patagonian Conures
        Argentinia Conures
        Argentinia White-eyed Conures
        Aratingas
        Aruba Conures or Aruba Brown-throated Conures
        Austral Conures
        Azara’s Conures
        Aztec or Jamaican Conures or Olive-throated Conure
        Azuero Conures

        B

        Beautiful Conures
        Berlepsch’s Conures
        Black-capped Conures
        Black-masked Conures
        Black-tailed Conures
        Blaze-winged Conures
        Blood-eared Conures
        Blue Crown Conures aka Blue Crowned Conures
        Blue-throated Conures
        Bolivian Blue-crowned Conures
        Bonaire Brown-throated Conures
        Branicki’s Conures
        Brazilian Grey-breasted Conures
        Brazilien Brown-throated Conures
        Brewster’s Green Conures
        Brown-breasted Conures
        Brown-eared Conures
        Brown-throated or St. Thomas Conures

        C

        Cactus Conures
        Carolina Conures
        Carriker’s Conures
        Chapman’s Conures (Pyrrhura melanura chapmani)
        Chapman’s Conures (Aratinga alticola) formerly referred to as Chapman’s Mitred Conures (Aratinga m. alticola)
        Cherry-headed Conures / Red Masked Conures
        Chilian Conures
        Chiriqui Conures
        Colombian Brown-throated Conures
        Colombian Conures
        Crimson-bellied Conures
        Crimson-tailed Conures
        Cuban Conures
        Cubiro Red-eared Conures

        D

        Demerara Conures
        Deville’s Conures
        Dusky-headed or Weddell’s Conures
        Dwarf Conures aka Jamaican Conure

        Sun ConureE:

        Eastern Aztec Conures
        Ecuadorian White-eyed Conures
        El Oro Conures
        Emma’s White-eared Conures

        F

        Fiery-shouldered Conures
        Finsch’s Conures

        G

        Golden Cap Conures aka Golden-capped Conures aka Flame-capped Conures
        Golden Conures aka Queen of Bavaria’s Conures
        Golden-crowned Conures
        Golden-headed Conures
        Golden-plumed Conures
        Fiery-shouldered / Gran Sabana Conures
        Greater Patagonian
        Greater Peach-fronted Conures
        Green Conures
        Green-cheeked Conures aka Yellow Sided Conures
        Grey-breasted Conures
        Guiana Brown-throated Conures

        H

        Half Moon Conures
        Hellmayr’s Parakeets or Conures
        Hispaniolan Conures
        Hoffmann’s Conures

        J

        Jamaican Conures
        Jandaya / Jenday Conures aka Flaming Conure aka Yellow-headed Parakeet
        Jaraquiel Conures

        L

        Lesser Patagonian Conures
        Louisiana Parakeets

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          M

          Magdalena Conures
          Magellan Conures
          Margarita Brown-throated Conures
          Margarita Conures
          Maroon-bellied Conures
          Maroon-tailed Conures
          Miritiba Pearly Conures
          Mitred Conures
          Molina Conures
          Monagas White-eared Conures

          Blue-throated Conure

          N

          Nanday Conures
          Neumann’s Pearly Conures
          Nicaraguan Green Conures

          O

          Olive-throated Conures
          Orange-cheeked Conures
          Orange-fronted Conures aka Petz Conure aka Half-moon Conure
          Orinoco Blue-crowned Conures

          P

          Pacific Black-tailed Conures
          Pacific Parakeets or Nicaraguan Green Conures (Aratinga holochlora strenua)
          Painted Conures
          Pale Cactus Conures
          Pantchenko’s Conures
          Patagonian Conures aka Lesser Patagonian Conures
          Peach-fronted Conures
          Pearly Conures
          Peter’s Conures
          Petz’s Conures
          Pfrimer’s Conures
          Pyrrhura Conures (the smallest of the Conure family, which includes Green-cheek Conures, Maroon-bellied Conures, Painted Conures, Black-capped Conures, Pearly Conures, Souance Conures, White-eared Conures, Rose-fronted Conures, Crimson-bellied Conures, Hoffman’s Conures)
          Prince Lucian’s or Deville’s Conures

          Q

          Queen of Bavaria’s Conures

          R

          Red-collared Conures
          Red-eared Conures
          Red-fronted Conures
          Red-headed Conures
          Red-masked Conures aka Cherry-headed Conures
          Red-rumped Conures.
          Red-speckled Conures
          Red-throated Conures
          Rock Conures
          Rose-crowned Conures
          Roseifrons or Rose-fronted Conures
          Rose-headed Conures

          S

          Saint Thomas Brown-throated Conures
          San Domingo Conures
          Sandia Conures
          Santa Cruz Conures
          Santa Marta Conures
          Santarém Conures
          Scarlet-fronted Conures
          Sharp-tailed Conures
          Sinú Brown-throated Conures
          Slender-billed Conures aka Long-billed Conures
          Smaller Painted Conures
          Socorro Green Conures
          Sordid Conures
          Souancé’s Black-tailed Conures
          Southern Green-cheeked Conures
          Southern Mexican Petz’s Conures
          Sulphur-winged Conures
          St. Thomas Conures
          Sun Conures aka Yellow Conures
          Surinam Brown-throated Conures aka Surinam Conures

          T

          Tapajos Brown-throated Conures
          Tortuga Brown-throated Conures

          V

          Venezuelan Blue-crowned Conures
          Venezuelan Brown-throated Conures
          Veragua Brown-throated Conures

          W

          Wagler’s Pearly Conures
          Weddell’s Conures
          Western Mexican Petz’s Conures
          White-eyed Conures
          White-eared Conures
          White-necked Conures

          Y

          Yellow Conures
          Yellow-eared Conures
          Yellow-headed Conures
          Yellow-sided Conures


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