Conures
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Conures are a diverse, loosely-defined group of medium-sized to small New World parrots. Essentially they are large parakeets native to Central and South America. For parrots, conures are lightly built, with long tails (Conure literally means 'cone tail') and small, strong beaks. They have a diverse range of colors.
Personality / Pet Potential
Conures are clowny birds. We love them for their great sense of humor, their fun-loving personality. Often easy to train to do tricks. Most may learn to talk.
I consider them to be "cuddly" birds (provided they are well socialized).
Conures, 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. As they like to climb under pillows and blankets, care needs to be taken not to accidentally smother them.
| Chart provided by Dr. Rob Marshall - http://www.birdhealth.com.au) |
| Conures Genus Aratinga |
| Size: 30cm in length |
| Pet Status: Excellent |
| Talking Ability: Moderate |
| Noise Level: High (Loud, high pitched voice) |
| Lifespan: 15-20 years |
| Breeding Ability: Good |
| Number of Eggs: 3 eggs |
| Incubation: 24-28 days |
| Compatibility with other species: Excellent |
| Feeding: Seed and Fruit Eaters |
| Health Programmes: Follow the Parrot Health Programme. |
| Sexing: Surgical or DNA sexing is required. |
They make great birds for those who don't mind the occasional (not NOT so occasional) screeching outburst. This is something to be considered when thinking of adding a conure to your family. Conures 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".
Conures do require more time and effort than say a cockatiel or budgie. Please keep this in mind.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
- Pet parrots generally present challenges, such as excessive screaming or chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined parrots will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation.
- Web Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website provides valuable tips on parrot behavior and training.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
Description
Conures are either large parakeets or small parrots that are found in the western hemisphere. They are analogous in size and way of life to the Old World's Rose-ringed Parakeets or the Australian parakeets. All living conure species are found in Central and South America; the extinct Conuropsis carolinensis or Carolina Parakeet was an exception.
Despite being large for parakeets, conures are lightly built with long tails and small (but strong) beaks. Conure beaks always have a small cere and are usually horn-colored or black.
Conures are as diverse a group as African Parrots, so trying to characterize them all is difficult and inaccurate. The category conure is loosely-defined because they do not currently constitute a natural, scientific grouping. The macaws are so closely related to conures that strictly by descent, macaws could also be called "conures". The term conure is now used mostly in aviculture. Scientists and laypeople alike tend to refer to these birds as "parrots" or "parakeets." (Source: Wikipedia.org)
Prices range from $125 for many members of the Pyrrhura genus to $700 or more for larger and rarer genus members.
Age at Maturity:
1-3 years (the smaller Conures mature more quickly).
Lifespan:
Up to 35 years. Conure Species
The more common, or well-known, conure species are the following:
- Blue-crowned / Sharp-tailed Conures
- Green-cheek Conure
- Jenday Conure
- Nanday Conure
- Sun Conure or Sun Parakeet
Comprehensive Listing of Conure Species
If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:
- Procuring your Parrot
- Breeders:
- Illinois: Free Flying Aviaries - Julie Avila; Little York Illinois - (309)729-1149 - free_flying2006@hotmail.com www.freeflying2006.bravehost.com ... Specialize in: white face tiels and some of the rarer mutations Breeds tiels, lovebirds, indian ring necks, green cheek conures, sun conures, and ocasionally amazons and b&g macaws
- Breeders:
- Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- Housing Your Bird
- Training Your Bird
- Bird Nutrition
- Parrot Products
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with web visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the webmaster.
Photo contributions are welcome!
