Conures are very popular first parrots for many people because of their availability and reasonable pricing. However, there's
much more to these South American natives than that! Most of these charmers have terrific personalities. Almost all my handfed
conures like to cuddle and do tricks. They usually learn to talk fairly easily, though they don't have the clearest voices
or the largest vocabularies.
Conures are classified in 3 main catagories: Aratinga, Nandayus and Pyrrhura.
I specialize in Pyrrhura conures because of their quieter personalities. They are smaller than their Aratinga
cousins, usually 8-9 inches long. Most people will find greencheeked and maroonbellied conures to be readily available in
the pet trade. They are very similar in appearance and are curious, spunky birds, though they are usually shyer than their
cousins.
If you don't mind a little noise, the flashier Aratinga conures, such as the Sun conure, can make excellent pets
as well. In fact, most handfed conures often do not scream like their wild caught counterparts or will learn to talk instead.
They range from between 10 to 17 inches in length and usually have red, orange, or yellow on their bodies. They usually have
very clownish, boisterous personalities, but they like to cuddle too.
The Nandayus Nanday conures have a bad reputation because of the many flighty, loud wild-caught birds that people
have had as pets. However, people who have handfed Nandays say these 12 inch parrots are entirely different birds. They can
make terrific pets, have a sweet personality and are usually quieter than wild-caught birds. (The Nandays I've had have still
been fairly vocal, so be sure you can handle some noise before purchasing one!) They are still one of the cheaper conures,
and people who don't mind taking a chance have ended up with wonderful pets.
