Information AboutConure |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CONURE | |
| aviculture | |
| parrots | |
| birds of the united states | |
|
]] DESCRIPTION Conures are either large parakeets or small Parrot s that are found in the Western Hemisphere . They are analogous in size and way of life to the Old World 's Rose-ringed Parakeet s or the Australian Parakeet s. 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-colored 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 Macaw s are so closely related to conures that strictly by descent, Macaw s could also be called "conures". The term ''conure'' is now used mostly in Aviculture . Scientists and laypeople alike tend to refer to these birds as "parrots" or "parakeets." (''See below under '' Scientific Classification '' for more details.'') CONURE SPECIES
These other genera are listed below:
See also: Wikispecies taxonomy. Aratinga Latin for "little macaw," 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. See Cherry-headed Conure . 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. Nanday Conure 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. 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. 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 dusky red-tailed and green Austral conure and the descriptively named '''Slender-billed conure''' make up the genus ''Enicognathus''. Although both birds in the genus are available in aviculture, neither is especially common in captivity. 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 indigenous to the United States. The Carolina parakeet was an remarkably social bird, living in vast flocks. American bird hunters reported that Carolina Parakeet s would return to mourn dead members of the flock, making themselves easy targets. Considered a pest, popular in the pet trade, and bearing plumes 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. For this reason, rather than try to sort parrots into families, biologists currently clasify all parrots under the family Psittacidae . 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 Parakeet 1, the Thick-billed Parrot , and '' Brotogeris ''2 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:
Macaws:
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. 2''Brotogeris'' are not only often counted as conures, but as Parrotlet s 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. |
|
|