SUN CONURES

The Sun Conure is of the genus Aratinga, of the Conure family.  The eight genera of the Conure family include:

* Aratinga, which includes the Sun Conure and the Mitred Conure, the Blue Crown Conure and the Jenday Conure

* Pyrrhura, which includes the Green-cheeked Conure, the Maroon-bellied Conure and the Black-capped Conure

* Nandayus, the genus of the Nanday Conure

* Leptosittaca, the genus of the Golden-plumed Conure

* Ognorhynchus, the genus of the Yellow-eared Conure

* Cyanoliseus, the genus of the Patagonian Conure

* Enicognathus, which includes the Austral Conure and the Slender-billed Conure

* Guaruba, the genus of the Golden Conure, also sometimes called the Queen of Bavaria Conure

Sun Conures are loving, easy to train little birds, about twelve inches in length, including the tail, and live an average of 25 to 30 years.  As juveniles their coloring is a muted olive green, which serves as a defense mechanism in the wild.  When they mature, at approximately one year old, their coloring is a brilliant rainbow of yellow, red, orange, blue and green and are often considered the most beautiful of the Conures. 

Sun Conures were originally imported from South America to the United States in the late 1800s.  Virtually all Conures offered for sale as pets now are the result of captive breeding programs which have produced healthier birds that are hand raised from birth and better suited as pets.

Sun Conures love attention and can develop some destructive behavior if they do not get the socialization they need. They have a piercing shriek which they will use to draw attention to themselves.  They like to be held and cuddled and talked to and they do enjoy the company of other birds. 

Sun Conures can learn to talk, although they are limited and their voices are birdlike and squeaky. They amuse themselves by imitating unusual sounds, like the sounds of a doorbell, a telephone ring or an alarm clock ring.

More Information

 Sun Conure Diet & Nutrition  Sun Conure Training & Behavior