Austral or Slender-billed Conures
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The Dusky Red-tailed and Green Austral Conure is available in aviculture, but is not common in captivity. The Austral Conure is favored as an aviary bird as they are not overly noisy.
This conure is not as well known as many other conures, even its smaller cousin the Chilean Conure is more well known. This is probably because it was first bred in captivity in the East Berlin Zoo in the early 1970's. But more and more are being bred in captivity in the United States, and we should see them become more readily available.
Description:
There are only two conures in this genus the Austral and the Slender-bill. The Austral is smaller measuring about 33 cm. and weighing about 150 grams. The austral tends to be the quieter of the two species. They are a dull green with the feathers having dusky tips thus giving a barred appearance. The crown is slightly tinged with blue and broadly tipped with greyish-black; the forehead and lores are dull reddish-brown with a brownish-brown patch in the center of the abdomen. The wing primaries and primary coverts are green tinged with blue and the tail is brownish-red faintly tipped with green.
Personality:
They make a sweet and loveable companion, as they have an easy-going disposition. They enjoy evening activity which makes them ideal for people who are home to interact with a pet later in the day. Austral Conures are fun-loving, inquisitive and mischievous. They are moderately noisy and most don't seem very nippy.
Care and Feeding:
Conures love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
- Optimal nutrition to keep your bird healthy
- Housing your bird
- The 3 Key Elements to Your Pet Bird's Happiness and Health
- Caring for your companion bird
Breeding / Reproduction:
They are monomorphic and reach sexual maturity around two years of age. The cock usually sits on or near the nesting box.
These conures are fairly easy to breed. Below are the dimensions of nesting boxes usually used for these conures. However, the dimensions can vary widely, as they are influenced by the owner's and the birds' preferences. The preferences of the breeding birds can also be influenced by the size and type of nest-box / log in which the bird was hatched and reared.
If space allows, offering a choice of sizes and types of logs or nest-boxes, and placed in various locations within the aviary, can allow the parent birds to make their own choice. Once a pair has chosen a specific nest-box/log and been successful in it, offer that one to them each breeding season. Try and keep that one for their exclusive use. Once a pair has chosen its log or nest-box, the other ones can generally be removed. If the "spare" boxes are to be removed and moved to another flight, ensure the log / nest-box is cleaned to ensure the receptacle has the minimal contamination of mites, parasites and pathogens.
Log / Nest-box:
- Marcy Covault from Feathered Companions Aviary suggests using a deeper box, either a bootbox or a vertical grandfather box (18" - 24" deep). Some conures do accept cockatiel-sized boxes, but using a deeper box will reduce the conures' tendency tor remove the shavings and lay their eggs on the bare wooden base.
- Diameter of entrance hole approx. 70 - 80 mm (or approx. 3 inches)
- Inspection hole: Square or round) 100 mm (or approx 4 inches)
- A Removable top / lid can be a useful access point for inspections and for cleaning.
- Location and height of log / nest-box = in a sheltered part of the aviary and at about 1.5 - 1.8 metres height, but not too close to the roof to cause heat problems in the hotter months
- Angle of log or nest box = 45 degrees through to vertical. Most boxes are vertical.
- Nesting log / nest-box material: Decomposed non-toxic saw dust, wood shavings or other suitable material/s.
- Incubation: Hen / cock / both share in incubating the eggs.
Nest inspection is generally not tolerated. If nest inspection is necessary, wait till both parents have left the nest. They can be aggressive and protective of the nest area when breeding.
For additional breeding-related information, please visit this website.
Genus: Scientific:
Enicognathus ... English: Slender-billed Conures ... Dutch:
Langsnavelparkieten ... German: Smaragdsittiche ... French:
Perroquet emeraude 
Species: Scientific:
Enicognathus ferrugineus ferrugineus ... English: Austral
Conures, Magellan Conures, Emerald Parakeet... Dutch:
Magelhaenparkiet, Smaragd Parkiet ... German: Smaragdsittich
... French: Perruche émeraude Sub-Species: minor, ferrugineus CITES II - Endangered
... Distribution: Southernmost Chile, Southern Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots
Sub-species:
Chilian Conures: Genus: Scientific: Enicognathus ... English: Slender-billed Conures ... Dutch: Langsnavelparkieten ... German: Smaragdsittiche ... French: Perroquet emeraude Species: Scientific: Enicognathus ferrugineus minor ... English: Chilian Conure ... Dutch: Chileense Parkiet ... German: Kleiner Smaragdsittich, Chilenischer Sittich ... French: Perruche émeraude de Chili CITES II - Endangered Distribution: Southern Chile, South-western Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo)
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