Conure
Conures are the charmers of the bird world. These gregarious, spunky little parrots are small enough to fit easily into most households and large enough to satisfy the desire of someone wanting to own a real parrot. Conures range from quiet, green little birds to slightly raucous brilliant orange and yellow parrots.
Sun Coloured Conures
The Conure parrot is one of the most charming pet birds you could ever have. Filled with personality, and affectionate with it, they are large enough to satisfy somebody seeking a ‘proper’ parrot yet small enough to fit into all but the very tiniest households. Coming in a range of vibrant colours they range from slightly boisterous orange and yellow birds to the quieter more contemplative green ones.
Nanday conures
A native of South America, recently some have become naturalised in parts of the US, particularly Florida and California. Ranging in size from a budgie-esque 8 1/2 inches (21 cm) right up to 18 inches or so (46 cm) they come in over forty varieties, albeit you are unlikely to find more than a handful for sale as pets, in either the US or the UK.
The least expensive, and as such readily available is the Nanday Conure. This mid size bird has a black head and green body, and although they tend to be pretty good talkers this comes with a caveat – they are one of the loudest varieties available and as such you may wish to consider choosing a quieter bird if you live in a flat or if neighbours are likely to be a concern.
Other conures include Maroon Bellies, and Green Cheeks (both are smallish and amongst the quietest of the conure family, with the Green Cheeks being more readily available and of a generally sweeter nature.)
These birds are actually very, very similar in appearance, so much so in fact that experienced handlers sometimes find it hard to tell the difference between them!
You can teach them to talk, although rarely will they pick up more than a few words and phrases. That said, if you live somewhere where you have to watch the noise these are a great choice.
These birds are so similar in appearance that even experienced bird handlers sometimes mix up the species. Green Cheeks have a maroon tail and a bit more green on their chests than Maroon Bellies. While you can teach these birds to talk, they rarely learn more than a few words and phrases. However, they are one of the best choices for apartment dwellers.
Sun, Jenday and a hybrid of the two birds called a Sunday are also popular conure varieties, often being compared to a sunset because of their bright orange and yellow coloring.
However, despite their beauty, these birds are not for everyone. They can be quite loud and have a slightly piercing call that many people cannot handle. If you do decide to add one of these little charmers to your home, begin teaching your bird to talk immediately. Often, birds that can talk will not shriek as much as non-talkers.
Blue Crown Conure
Two of the largest conure species, the Blue Crown and the White Eye, are some of the best talkers in the conure family. These birds are not terribly colorful, but they readily pick up words and phrases. They are fairly loud, so they are not ideal for apartment residents. The Blue Crown conure is a predominantly green bird with a bluish head, while the White Eye is a green bird with white rings around his eyes.
White Eyed Conures
Handfed birds generally pick up tricks very quickly. To keep these little fellows happy, you should provide plenty of toys and a roomy cage – they are very active, playful birds and most are happy being handled.
Be sure the cage bars are approximately a half inch (1,2 cm) apart, especially if your bird is one of the smaller varieties, or you may just come home to find your conure sitting outside his cage. These little guys are quite adept at squeezing out of cages with wider spacing.
