Conures are a group of small to medium-sized parrots that belong to the genus Aratinga and Cyanoliseus in the family Psittacidae. They are native to Central and South America and are known for their bright plumage, playful personalities, and wide vocal range.
There are many subspecies of conures, each with its own unique physical characteristics and distribution. Some of the most popular conures are below.
- The Blue Crown Conure (Aratinga acuticaudata) – known for its bright blue crown and bright green body
- The Cherry-Head Conure (Aratinga erythrogenys) – known for its bright red head and green body
- The Painted Conure (Aratinga picta) – is known for its distinct plumage pattern featuring bright hues of green, blue, yellow, and red
- The Patagonian Conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus) – with primarily green plumage with blue-green on the head, red-orange on the shoulders, and a blue-green tail.
- The Golden-Capped Conure (Aratinga auricapillus) – is best known for its distinctive golden-yellow patch on its forehead and crown
- The Half-Moon Conure (Aratinga canicularis) – is known for its distinctive red patch on its forehead and a blue crescent-shaped patch on the crown
Training Conures
You should know that just because a conure is small it doesn’t mean that you can toss food in its cage and be done with it. Small birds need the same level of care, socialization, and training as the big guys.
Parrots, regardless of their size, use biting as a form of communication. When we don’t respond appropriately to their needs or wants, which are usually unclear to new owners, they feel it necessary to emphasize their point more clearly with a well-placed bite.
A bird that screams to get what it wants, will only scream louder when demands are not met. To avoid these problems both parrot and the owner need to be on the same page. But how?
Training is the easiest and most effective way to make that happen. And the best thing about it is that it solves all of your conure problems with just a few minutes of one-on-one time a day.
Conure Personality
Typically small to medium-sized parrot Conures are originally from Central or South America. These little parrots crave attention and will work for it which can sometimes lead to bad habits such as biting and screaming.
Conures are active, lively, and bold. They will clown around with their toys, screech in mock anger, and then beg for a scratch. Accomplished performers, Conures are capable of laying on their backs, playing dead, and even hanging from a finger playfully.
But be careful… don’t just think that because these Conures are easy to train that you don’t have your work cut out for you. A pet Conure is an extremely active bird. You need to be supplied with lots of bird toys, and lots of playtime, or else they can become very loud and screechy.