Sun Conure

Description

Sun conures are often mistaken for sun parakeets or sunbitterns, but the sun conure is slightly larger than these two species. They get their name from their bright sunburst-orange coloration and their natural habitat of arid areas of South America. Sun conures are a very popular pet, they can live up to 65 years if they’re in captivity and up to 25 in the wild. The sun conure was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1829.

Sun conures can be very nippy and if they’re not trained properly this type of behavior is likely to continue. Like sun bitterns, sun conures love water and bathe in it daily.

Appearance: The sun conure’s body is mostly green while its chest and belly are bright orange that mimics the sun. Its tail feathers have yellow tips giving it a sunburst-like pattern, the sun conure has a large curved beak used for eating fruit off trees and the ground. The sun conure’s tongue is long and sticky which helps to pick up food from all angles.

Range: The sun conure lives in South America where there are vast open lands perfect for birds to live in trees orDescription: The sun conure has a large beak that is curved downward for picking at food on the ground, its tongue is long and sticky to make eating fruit easier. Its tail feathers are green with yellow tips giving it a sunburst-like pattern, the rest of the sun conure’s body is various shades of green with orange on its chest. The sun conure can be up to 28 centimeters (11 inches) in length and some sun conures are more yellow than orange.

Social Behavior: Sun Conures are very social parrots that want to spend time with their owners all day long. Some sun conures talk but they do not mimic words as well as other parrots might. Sun conures are prone to screaming if they nothing else to occupy their time. Sun conures love to sunbathe and if nothing else they will hang upside down from a tree branch so that the sun can hit their belly.

Sun Conures as Pets: sun conures are popular pets but they can be nippy and most sun conure owners must teach them not to bite by use of discipline. The sun conure’s chirp is squeaky and high pitched making it very easy to differentiate from other parrots. Sun conures like eating fresh fruit and vegetables, sunflower seeds and millet sprays.

Feeding: The sun conure eats mostly fruits such as apples, olives, bananas, grapes, mangoes and more! Some sun conures also eat vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, and corn. sun conures eat sunflower seeds and millet sprays as treats.

Sun Conure Care: Sun conures need a large cage to live in, the bigger the better. The bar spacing should be no more than half an inch apart so that the sun conure does not escape or injure itself on the bars of the cage. A sun conure needs a lot of space to play and sun conures love to play with toys such as bells and swings on ropes! As far as perches go, sun conures prefer natural tree branches over man-made perches because they don’t hurt their feet like wooden dowels might do. Cleaning is required daily or whenever soiled by droppings or food spills. Sun conures do not need to be bathed very often and sun conure’s natural sunburst pattern is beautiful and does not need any help, but sun conure owners can use a brush with soft bristles every once in a while.

A sun conure should be fed fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, carrots and broccoli daily. Sun conures also eat sunflower seeds as treats two or three times a week. Seeds are high in fat so sun conures should only eat sunflower seeds sparingly because they’re unhealthy when eaten too frequently.

Additional information