Conure Varieties

Jandaya Conure (Aratinga jandaya)

• Colors: A green base color with a yellow-orange head and nape, red breast and abdomen, and black bill.
• Length: 12" (31 cm).
• Weight: 4 ounces (113 g).
• Life expectancy: 25 years.
• Potential to talk: Can learn and repeat a few words.
• Temperament: These are playful birds who need a lot of chew toys in their cages. Also, wooden cages are particularly inappropriate for this species because they gnaw to such an extent that they could destroy the cage. They are somewhat distrustful of new people, objects, and experiences. Jandayas also have particularly loud voices.
• Natural habitat: Woods and scrub of northeast Brazil.
• Other info: Also known as the janday conure or the jenday conure.

Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis)

• Colors: Almost entirely yellow, with dark blue on the feather tips and tail. There is also some orange around the eyes and abdomen.
• Length: 12" (31 cm).
• Weight: 5 ounces (142 g).
• Life expectancy: 25 years.
• Potential to talk: Has slight talking ability.
• Temperament: This sociable bird is the most commonly kept conure in the Aratinga genus. He doesn’t gnaw as much as the jandaya but still requires some twigs and toys in his cage to destroy.
• Natural habitat: Savannah and dry forest with palm groves in northeastern South America.

Green-Cheeked Conure (Pyrrhura molinae)

• Colors: This bird has blue primary feathers with a brown fore­head and crown, brownish gray on the throat and upper breast, and maroon on the belly and tail.
• Length: 10" (25 cm).
• Weight: 2–3 ounces (57–85 g).
• Life expectancy: 25 years.
• Potential to talk: Unlikely to speak.
• Temperament: Spunky, mischievous, and energetic, this lively bird gnaws less than many conure species. His voice is only moderately loud, even when excited. He can be stubborn and somewhat rigid about his dietary choices.
• Natural habitat: Lowland forests, woodlands, and mossy cloud forests in portions of Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Nanday Conure (Nandayus nenday)

• Colors: A green base color with blue flight feathers and breast and a dark head and bill.
• Length: 12" (31 cm).
• Weight: 4 ounces (113 g).
• Life expectancy: 35–45 years.
• Potential to talk: This species is particularly likely to speak.
• Behavior: This is a friendly species that gets along well with other birds and makes a good pet, as long as you can handle its loud, vocal nature. The nanday is also a fairly aggressive chewer who requires wood toys to gnaw on in his cage.
• Natural habitat: Open country in the Río Paraguay basin.
• Other info: Also known as the black-hooded conure.

Red-Masked Conure (Aratinga erythrogenys)

• Colors: A base color of green, with red on the head, lower cheeks, thighs, and underwing. (The red coloration doesn’t show until maturity, however.)
• Length: 13" (33 cm).
• Weight: 7 ounces (199 g).
• Life expectancy: 25 years.
• Potential to talk: Especially good at mimicking sounds but can also learn to speak sentences.
• Behavior: The red-masked conure can be very tame, making him a good pet, but he also has a loud call and is a particularly enthusiastic chewer.
• Natural habitat: The lowlands of southwest Ecuador and northwest Peru.
• Other info: Also known as the cherry-headed conure.