Nanday Conures or Black-hooded Parakeet
Conure Info / Conures as Pets ... Conure Species ... Conure Photo Gallery
Conure Foods .... Books about Conures
The Nanday conure, Nandayus nenday is the most commonly kept pet conure species outside of the two main genera.
Some experts believe that Nandays should actually be grouped with the Aratinga genus, since they are cross-fertile with such species as Jendays and Sun Conures.
Description & Personality:
They are also extremely intelligent birds, capable of learning tricks, mimicking sounds, and learning a small vocabulary.
- Ellen Musgrove, a web visitor from PA, shares this about her pet Nanday: "My Nanday is only 9 weeks and already says LUV."
- Another web visitor, Brandy, wrote that her Nanday has a voculabulary of 15 to 20 words. He says: ""give me a kiss" when he wants a kiss, then "thankyou." "Goodmorning" and "Goodnight" respectively. According to the Brandy, his pronounciation is not good as African Greys and Cockatoos, but good enough for everyone to know what he was saying.
Nanday conures have a distinctive black head, and wings and tails tipped with dark blue feathers. They have a light-blue scarf and bright orange feathers on their legs and around their vents. Mature birds are about 11-12 inches long and weigh 5.2 ounces.
The maturity of a Nanday can be told by the edges of its black hood: if the hood has a ragged edge of brown, then the bird is over a year old.
The Nanday Conure has the habit of falling asleep on its back, feet straight up in the air, which can be rather disconcerting the first time observed.
Potential Problems:
As with many Conure species, the Nanday Conure has a reputation for being noisy. Their high-pitched screech can be annoying.
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
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Conures, like other parrots, generally present their owners with several challenges, such as excessive screaming or chewing. 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 for 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:
Breeding / Reproduction:
Nanday Conures are sexually mature at three years of age. The hen will lay two to six eggs which incubate for 24-26 days. 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 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.
Distribution:
The Nanday Conure is native to southeastern Bolivia, southern Mato Grosso, northern Argentina, Chaco Formosa, and Paraguay. It is also been introduced in North America with colonies reported in the southern and eastern parts of the United States.
(Adapted from Source: Wikipedia.org)
Genus: Scientific: Pyrrhura ... English: Red-tailed Conures ... Dutch: Roodstaartparkieten ... German: Rotschwanzsittiche ... French: Perruche à queue rouge
Species: Scientific:
Pyrrhura perlata anerythra ... English: Neumann's Pearly
Conure ... Dutch: Neumanns Parelparkiet ... German: Neumanns
Blausteißsittich ... French: Perruche de Para CITES
II - Endangered Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots ... Koji ... More on Koji ... Odie
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!
