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-coloured or black.
Most conure species live in flocks of 20 or more
birds. Conures often eat grain, which causes
them to be treated as agricultural pests in some
places.
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
term conure is now used mostly in aviculture.
Scientists tend to refer to these birds as
"parrots" or "parakeets." They are known as
clowns of the parrot species because of there
antics and the way they behave. (See below under
Scientific Classification for more details.)
Conure Species
Conures, as the term is used by aviculturists,
include only the genera Aratinga and Pyrrhura,
as well as several single-species genera and one
double-species genus*. These other genera are
listed below:
* Conuropsis: Carolina Parakeet (extinct)
* Cyanoliseus: Patagonian Conure
* Enicognathus: Austral and Slender-Billed
Conures
* Guarouba: Golden or Queen Of Bavaria Conure
* Leptosittaca: Golden-Plumed Conure
* Nandayus: Nanday Conure
* Ognorhynchus: Yellow-Eared Conure
Aratinga
Latin for "little macaw," (ara - macaw, tinga -
diminutive) the Aratinga conures generally seem
to have a more mischievous personality than the
real little macaws or mini macaws. The Aratinga
conures are generally larger with brighter
plumage and are generally the noisier, more
outgoing, more demanding of the two primary
conure genera. The Sun Conure and Jenday Conure
are among the species of conures more commonly
kept as pets.
Pyrrhura
Pyrrhura is the other large genus of conures.
These generally greenish conures including the
very common Green-cheeked Conure. Usually
smaller, duller-colored, and quieter than the
Aratinga conures, the Pyrrhura conures contain
almost every conure species with a hyphen in the
name, and the majority of Pyrrhura species names
are hyphenated.
Pair of wild Nanday Conures[picture]
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 Suns. 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.
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. Although Nandays are often said to be
extremely noisy, it might be more accurate to
say that they are a heavily flock-oriented
species, used to making their demands known,
calling out warnings for the group, and making
inquiries about other members of the group who
are out of sight. They are also extremely
intelligent birds, capable of learning tricks,
mimicking sounds, and learning a small
vocabulary. At least one report suggests that
they are highly adaptable to human encroachment
on their territories, but the exact status of
the species in the wild is unknown. Flocks of
Nanday conures have been seen living wild in
parts of Florida, notably the west coast
including areas of St. Petersburg and
Clearwater.
Golden Conure
The Golden conure or Queen of Bavaria Conure,
Guarouba guarouba (recently reclassified from
Aratinga guarouba) is, as the name implies,
covered all over with bright yellow feathers,
except for the green wing-tip feathers and the
greyish-horn-colored beak. Golden conures are
among the most expensive conures both to
purchase and to care for, although many owners
feel that the benefits outweigh the cost. It is
one of the rarest Conures in the wild in
addition to the pet trade. Many experts believe
that these birds should not be kept in captivity
unless in a breeding program.
Patagonian Conure
The Patagonian conure, Cyanoliseus patagonus, is
a large conure found in the Patagonia region of
south-central Argentina and Chile. Drab on the
top, brighly colored underneath, the Patagonian
conure has exploded in popularity since the
1990s, leading to an increase in illegal
importation which threatens the wild
populations. It is also known as the "burrowing
parrot," due to its habit of nesting in holes in
the ground. Unsurprisingly, Patagonians in
captivity are great chewers, and have been known
to munch through furniture and even walls.
Enicognathus
The Greater Patagonian Conure is the largest of
all the Conures. They learn to talk and they
usually bond very well with people, especially
if hand-raised.
Golden-Plumed Conure
The Golden-plumed conure, Leptosittaca branickii,
is a small Andean conure not found in aviculture
and endangered in its own habitat.
Yellow-Eared Conure
The exceedingly rare Yellow-eared conure or
Ognorhynchus icterotis of Colombia and Ecuador
was never common in aviculture and has not
successfully bred in captivity.
Carolina Parakeet
Conuropsis carolinensis, the Carolina Parakeet,
was the only parrot species endemic to the
United States in recorded history. The Carolina
parakeet was a remarkably social bird, living in
vast flocks. American bird hunters reported that
Carolina Parakeets would return to mourn dead
members of the flock, making themselves easy
targets. Considered a pest, popular in the pet
trade, and bearing plume feathers valued for
hats, this species was hunted to extinction
around the beginning of the 1900's.
Scientific Classification
The word conure is an old term and was
originally used as a descriptive name for the
members of the nolonger-used genus Conurus,
which included the members of Aratinga and
Pyrrhura.
The parrot order Psittaciformes is a rather
confusing tangle of genera, many containing only
one species. Parrots or Psittacines (order
Psittaciformes) includes about 353 species of
bird which are generally grouped into two
families: the Cacatuidae or cockatoos, and the
Psittacidae or true parrots. The term parrot is
generally used for both the entire order as well
as for the Psittacidae alone.
All members of the Psittaciformes order have a
characteristic curved beak shape with the upper
mandible having slight mobility in the joint
with the skull and a generally erect stance. All
parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on
each foot placed two at the front and two back.
See Parrot.
The conures and all other New World parrots are
often placed in a subfamily or tribe Arinae.
Internal relationships of conures are poorly
understood though it seems evident that, to make
them a natural grouping, the Quaker parakeet1,
the thick-billed parrot, and Brotogeris2 should
be included, and often are. Neotropical
parakeets, macaws, and other are also candidates
potential for inclusion. In this scheme,
"conure" would comprise members of the genera:
* Aratinga
* Pyrrhura
* Nandayus
* Guarouba
* Cyanoliseus
* Enicognathus
* Leptosittaca
* Ognorhynchus
* Conuropsis
* Rhynchopsitta: Thick-billed parrot
* Myopsitta: Quaker parakeet
Macaws:
* Ara
* Anodorhynchus
* Cyanopsitta
* Diopsittaca
* Orthopsittaca
* Primolius
In addition the caiques and the hawk-headed
parakeets have also been proposed for inclusion.
Both the caiques and the Hawk-headed parakeets
have a heavier build and different tail
structure from traditional conures.
1The Quaker or Monk parakeet is technically a
conure by almost anybody's definition, but due
to its popularity in aviculture and its
uniqueness, it is generally considered in a
category of its own. 2Brotogeris are not only
often counted as conures, but as parrotlets as
well, and it is not clear precisely which one,
or both, or neither, they belong to. Certainly
the tail structure is different from that of the
parrotlets, although the basic body structure
seems to be analogous with both groups.
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