These birds originate from Central, South America and Mexico.
There are more then thirty species of conures, most of which
are green with various head markings. A few species are more
brilliantly colored. They range in size from 10 to 13 inches.
Although conures are closer in size to an Australian parakeets
than to the bigger parrots, their temperament and behavior are
more reminiscent of the latter. The clever conure is extremely
active, bold, and curious. He will climb all over the cage
(which should be two or three feet in all three dimensions),
hang upside down and screech, and happily chew up his toys.
Outside of his cage, he is mischievous and destructive-nothing
is safe from his strong, inquisitive beak. Conures are not
soothing pets, but if you like parrots with strong and fearless
personalities, and if you can put up with their energy level,
they make delightfully spunky pets. They must be acquired as
young hand-feds, though, because older conures resist taming
and can deliver a nasty bite. Even hand-feds are nippy if you
push them to far. If you want to handle your conure, be sure
to keep his wings clipped, it will calm him down. Conures
are like caiques. These high-energy birds have to be doing
something all the time. If they nip while you're holding them,
try giving them a toy to nible on while they're on your hand-this
gives them a substitute for your fingers. As a group, conures
are considered amoung the noisiest screechers of all parrots.
Though single conures are quieter than a whole group of them,
and while hand-feds usually restrict their screeming to times
when they want attention, that's little solace if you prefer a
quiet household. Most conures are not good talkers, and of those
that are, their vocabularies are small and their voices loud an
unpleasant. Still, conures who have learned to talk often
substitute human words for screeching-that's something worth
considering.
Conures are hardy birds who can live 15 to 30 years.
DETERMINING SEX-Neither appearance nor behavior distinguishes
the sexes, In fact, even the various species of conure are
often hard to distinguish.
PROPER Diet-they eat a large variety of seed, lots of fruit
and vegetables. These birds are good talkers and smart.
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