Half-moon Conures / Petz Conures
Conure Info / Conures as Pets ... Conure Species ... Conure Photo Gallery
Conure Foods .... Books about Conures
Half-moon Conures are around 10 inches in length and weigh around 70-80 grams. They are sometimes mistaken for the Orange-fronted Conure, but they have more orange coloring on their heads.
The half-moon conure often is confused with the slightly larger peach-fronted conure (aratinga aurea). The easiest distinction between the two is the solid black beak of the peach-fronted versus the horn-colored beak of the half-moon.
Description:
The Half-moon Conure averages 10" (25 cm) in length and its average weight is 3.7 oz (105 g). It has a grayish-green back with a lighter olive-green color on the breast. The forehead and part of the crown are orange, and the rest of the crown is blue-green. The beak is black. They are similar in appearance and size to the three subspecies of Orange-fronted Conures, with the differences being that the Orange-fronted Conure has a smaller black beak rather than the horn-colored beak of the Half-moon Conure, and their colored frontal band is wider.
Behavior / Personality:
Halfmoon Conures are popular pets that love to play and climb. Natural branches and lots of toys are recommended. Half-moon Conure can be very noisy and destructive.
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
- Caring for your companion bird
Breeding / Reproduction:
They are relatively easy to breed. The recommended nesting box should be 13" x 10" x 10" in size, with an entrance hole about 3 1/4" in diameter. The hen lays 2 to 4 eggs, which she incubates for about 26 days. The nestlings fledge after about 52 days.
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 to 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: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga 
Species: Scientific: Aratinga aurea aurea aka Eupsittula aurea aurea ... English: Peach-fronted Conure, Golden-crowned Conure, Half-moon Conure ... Dutch: Goudvoorhoofdparkiet ... German: Goldstirnsittich ... French: Perruche à front d'or Sub-Species: aurea, major
CITES II - Endangered Distribution: Southernmost Surinam, Brazil, South to Eastern Bolivia, Northern Paraguay, Extreme North-western Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots
Sub-species:
Greater Peach-fronted Conures: Please scroll up for additional information. Genus: Scientific: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga Species: Scientific: Aratinga aurea major aka Eupsittula aurea major ... English: Greater Peach-fronted Conure ... Dutch: Grote Goudvoorhoofdparkiet ... German: Großer Goldstirnsittich ... French: Perruche grand à front d'or
CITES II - Endangered Distribution: Northern Paraguay, Southern Bolivia, North-western Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo.)
Orange-fronted Conures aka Petz Conure aka Half-moon Conure: Orange-fronted Conures have the fun-loving, inquisitive and playful personalities of most of the other Conures and can become good talkers. However, they can be very noisy and may not make a good pet for apartment dwellers or those who are sensitive to noise. Orange-front Conures are around 11-12 inches in length and weigh around 80-90 grams.
Genus: Scientific: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga Species: Scientific: Aratinga canicularis canicularis aka Eupsittula canicularis canicularis ... English: Orange-fronted Conure, Petz's Conure ... Dutch: Ivooraratinga, Petz's Parkiet ... German: Elfenbeinsittich ... French: Perruche à front orange Sub-Species: eburnirostrum, clarae, canicularis CITES II - Endangered Distribution: Pacific Slopes Central America from South-western Mexico, South to Western Costa Rica Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots
Southern Mexican Petz's Conures: Genus: Scientific: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga Species: Scientific: Aratinga canicularis eburnirostrum aka Eupsittula canicularis eburnirostrum ... English: Southern Mexican Petz's Conure ... Dutch: Zuid-Mexicaanse Petz's Parkiet ... German: Südmexikanischer Elfenbeinsittich ... French: Perruche à front rouge Lesson
CITES II - Endangered Distribution: South-western Mexico from Extreme Eastern Michoacán South through Guerrero to Oaxaca<
Western Mexican Petz's Conures: Genus: Scientific: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga Species: Scientific: Aratinga canicularis clarae aka Eupsittula canicularis clarae ... English: Western Mexican Petz's Conure ... Dutch: Westelijke Mexicaanse Petz's Parkiet ... German: Westmexikanischer Elfenbeinsittich ... French: Perruche à front rouge Clarae CITES II - Endangered Distribution: Western Mexico
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!
