Conure Parrot Species Information
Conures are small bundles of energy and fun!
The Conure parrot species are active, fun, clownish birds that need experienced bird owners and lots of affection.
Conures are active birds that can be quite loud. They need more experienced bird owners and most are not suited for apartment living, except for one. Green-cheeked Conures are actually good first birds and are quiet enough to live in an apartment with you.
Conures also have the ability to talk, but they are not known for their talking ability. Most are said to be quite loud and some types are also said to be a bit nippy.
The Conure parrot species consists of more than 40 different types and they all have their own unique characteristics. There are about a dozen types of Conures that are commonly kept as pets.
There are two main types of Conures: Aratinga and Pyrrhura. Pyrrhura Conures are the more popular species of Conure because they are just as beautiful and have the same personality as the Aratinga Conures, but they are smaller, less destructive, and not as loud.
Conure Parrot Species
Aratinga Conures
Blue-Crowned Conure
Brown-Throated Conure
Cherry-Headed Conure
Dusky-Headed Conure
Jenday Conure
Mitred Conure
Nanday Conure
Orange-Fronted Conure
Peach-Fronted Conure
Sun Conure
Pyrrhura Conures
Black-Capped Conure
Blue-Throated Conure
Crimson-Bellied Conure
Green-Cheeked Conure
Maroon-Bellied Conure
Fast Facts
| Name | Conures, Genus: Aratinga & Pyrrhura |
| Origin | Southern Mexico, South America, Caribbean Islands |
| Size | 9-21 in (22-53 cm) depending on the species |
| Color Differences | The various species have a wide range of colors. They can range from being mainly green to mainly yellow. |
| Average Cost | $400-$1000 |
| Lifespan | 20-40 years (depending on species) |
| Noise | Aratinga – Loud; Pyrrhura – Quiet |
| Living Arrangements | Aratinga Conures are too loud for apartment living, but the Pyrrhura Conures are quiet enough for an apartment. |
| Qualities | Intelligent, curious, comical, acrobatic, enjoy head scratches, love attention, some are more cuddly than others, tend to be one-person birds (unless they are well-socialized), head-bobbing |
| Abilities | Good – Have the ability to talk, but aren’t great talkers, trainable |
| Interaction/Time Requirements | All Conure species require daily interaction and training. |
| Diet | Small Conures need a diet for medium birds and large Conures need a diet for large birds. |
| Supplies Needed | Small Conures need supplies for medium birds and large Conures need supplies for large birds. |
Conure Videos
“Playful Birdie”
This is a cute video of a playful Pyrrhura Conure. It’s a great example of how fun and affectionate they can be.
“Rudy in High Def!”
Aratinga Conures really are a lot of fun. They love to play and many love to dance. This is a great video that shows how they can be such wonderful companions.
“How Loud Is a Screaming Sun Conure?”
We’re not kidding when we say that Aratinga Conures are loud. This video (of a Sun Conure) will give you an idea about what you are getting into if you buy an Aratinga Conure.
Conure Training
Conures, like most smaller parrots, can be very nippy. You definitely need to know how to train your Conure if you want him to be hand tamed and enjoy spending time with you and your friends/family. However, if you don’t know how to train a Conure, you may have difficulty even getting your bird out of his cage.
For this reason, we highly recommend that you find an effective training program for your Conure. Whether your parrot is new to your home or you’ve had him for years, a training program will always come in handy. We personally recommend the Bird Tricks Parrot Training Course by Dave and Jamieleigh Womach. You can see many of their videos for free to get an idea of how much they know about parrots and how they can help you train yours.
Below is one of Dave’s videos that shows how to teach your Conure to step up without biting. This video is a great example of how effective the training courses can be and how they are filled with a wealth of useful information for any bird owner.
This video is only the first step in getting your bird hand tamed. We highly recommend checking out the BirdTricks Training Course for taming your parrot even further.
For more information about Dave and Jamieleigh’s courses, you can visit the Bird Tricks website HERE.
Conure Education
To learn more about your pet Conure, we recommend these books:
| Image | Title | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Conure Handbook (B.E.S. Pet Handbooks) | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Conure: Your Happy Healthy Pet | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Conures as Pets | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Conures (Animal Planet® Pet Care Library) | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart |
Conure Gifts
Have a friend of family member who loves Conures? Gift them something that will truly spark joy!
| Image | Title | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Conure Ripeness Chart T-Shirt | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Green Cheek Conure's Daily To-Do List T-Shirt | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Sun Conure T Shirt, I Scream Sun Conure Tee Shirt | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Custom Green Cheek Conure Necklace | Prime | Add to Cart | |
 | Love Hurts Nanday Conure Parrot Premium T-shirt | PrimeEligible | Add to Cart | |
 | Sun Conure Parrot Watercolor Mens Socks | Prime | Add to Cart |
Related Articles:
- The Essential Conure Supplies Checklist
- The 3 Must-Have Perches
- The Best Food For Your Conure
- Find The Best Conure Cage
- Toys Your Conure Will Love
Have A Great Story About Your Conure?
Share your experience with others! There’s no better way to learn about a pet bird than from an owner.
Some helpful information for potential owners can be: What is the species of your bird? Is he/she friendly? Loving? Cuddly? Talented? Messy? Loud? You get the idea!
Your comment may just help someone decide whether or not this pet bird is for them.
I recently got my conure, but I have no clue what she is specifically
Please tell me what kind of conure this cutie here ? Please email me or reply 🙂 thanks
Pineapple Green Cheek. 🙂 Super cute
I have 4 two from a bird show 2 hatch thay do not get along how do I stop the fighting it look like a gang fight!!!!!!
Could you provide a bit more detail? It sounds like your birds could be merely playing or bonding with each other instead of you. Also what species are they? All the same or different? A possibility is if you have several of them housed in one cage, they could feel cramped and start acting territorial. OR if your bird(s) is not getting adequate exercise, they will start get agitated and this pent-up energy can come out as aggression. Make sure you’re allowing them all plenty of daily exercise outside of their cage. Greet all of them in the morning, let them out; if they’re flighted it’s best to probably let out one at a time. There’s also a technique where you can hold your bird on your finger perch, and lower your hand vertically to stimulate your bird’s flapping. My family call this “wingercise” and it is perfectly healthy. Oftentimes an aggressive bird just needs some activity.
We found this guy. What type is he?
Green Cheek pineapple conure
Green Cheek pineapple conure
Hay any chance any one could let me know what tipe off parrot this is please thankyou
Bronze wing pionus
Do male conures take any responsibility in the rearing of the bavies? We have a Jenday conure who is supposed to be a male. “He is now taking the wooden balls in his cage and putting them into his bed and sithing on them. He’s very protective of his treasures. Is this normal or is he maybe a she?
I have 5 conures. 3 are sun conures and 2 are green cheeks (one is a yellow-sided and the other is a cinnamon). Yes, the sun conures are much louder than the green cheeks but they are like dogs and only scream when they are excited like when I first get home from work or get ready to feed them or give them a shower. The rest of the time they just chill out and do their bird thing.
I am curious as to how you trained your 3 suns so that they don’t screech all the time– what kind of training program did you implement? My family just got a bby sun– she/he’s nearly 5 months old now– and it screams all the time, for no reason sometimes, for mild reasons like a finger touching it slightly wrong, or for ridiculous reasons like when the human leaves the room for ONE MINUTE. Do pray tell, how. to. lessen. the. screeching??
I had two green cheek conures, and I seemed to make mistake after mistake, I let one bond to the other before I bonded it to myself, I didn’t spend enough time training them, however they could wolf whistle, step up, dance and kiss, sometimes I didn’t spend enough time with them, but they were always forgiving, they loved to be out and about the house, I couldn’t go to the toilet without them following, they were extremely affectionate but they did also bite, I had to respect there limits and in turn they seemed to respect mine, they were such little clowns, always rolling around, pulling my hair, hiding and cheeping like a baby, they were very messy, I could never seem to clean up all the food, they were toe sharks, they loved to run around in the middle of the action and play and have yelling competitions and steal all the food, the best rule to go by is a quiet conure is up to something. Some are known to be quite nippy though, and some are little love bugs, you definitely cant go wrong with one though, but sometimes they’re gonna be some hard work and effort to get them as you want them, but don’t give up.
I have a yellow side green cheek conure. She is DNA sexed Female and is about 7 months old. She was handfed, and I purchased her from a bird store. I got her at 4 months old. She was shy for about 1 month, avoiding my hands, not taking treats from my hands, acting slightly fearful, ect.
After her first month, she started warming up to me and my husband. She will now step up easily and take treats. She loves to be near us, but is not cuddly. She is supposed to be my bird, but prefers my husband. She does not like to be petted much and will only tolerate it on her head. She has never bitten even once, instead she will screech a bit if she doesn’t like something you are doing.
As far as noise, she is very quiet. Most of the time she is silent, or making very quiet quack-like chirps. The only times she will screech loudly is in the morning when she hears our alarm clocks go off, when there is something on TV that is very loud, like engines roaring or rapid gun fire, or when I get home from work and the dog barks at the door. Even at those times, it is usually 3 or 4 screeches. The loud screech is not high pitched enough to really hurt your ears, but it isn’t the most pleasant noise either. Parakeets, finches and cockatiels are all much louder than my green cheek.
She is starting to mimic. She will make the sound that our recliner makes, and is practicing words when she thinks we can’t hear her. I’ve heard her say something similar to our dog’s name… but she isn’t doing it openly yet.
She is very clown-like, she loves hanging upside down by one foot, she loves any toy I give her. I have her in a cage large enough for an amazon and she uses all of it constantly. So far she only bathes in her water bowl, which requires many changes per day.
Her diet when I got her was a pellet and seed blend. I easily switched her to 100% pellets. She is not usually interested in fresh veggies or fruits, but I keep trying. She will now eat carrots and baby spinach.
Quirks and curiosities of my bird, and maybe yours
Sunny
My story is that I have the most lovely green cheek conure. My conure is now 1 and a half, and I am a first time parrot owner. I once a had a cockatiel, but he was very old and grumpy. I am fascinated by my bird, as she is a perfect pet.
First I must start by saying my bird is named Sunshine, or Sunny for short. Sunny has an amazing personality, as most conures do. She is playful and friendly, loves attention, loves to interact with me and a few other people, but she is also reserved and sometimes grumpy. I find it funny how she only bites in the morning, if you wake her, and when you try to interact with her while she is in her cage. She gets protective of her environment and prefers not to be disturbed while in it.
Unlike what I’ve heard of conures, Sunny is not loud at all. She may “chit chat” every now and then (it sounds like she’s mumbling or something) as well as chirp a bit, but the only time she screeches or makes high pitched noises is when her surrounding is too loud. For example if there’s a vacuum, or a barking dog, or people speaking loudly. She does not make repeatedly loud sounds, but will chirp along with music. She loves listening to music, and sings and dances along. Other sounds she makes are repeating my whistles and giving kisses. She does not repeat me all the time, as she is very shy about it, so you hear her when she doesn’t think you’re listening, and you can hear her testing out the sounds as she makes them. I find it adorable. When she is confident enough of the sound, she will repeat it, but only with me, not with any other members of my family.
She is also a very picky bird. She only likes a few of the available bird toys. The ones she loves she destroys them, and her favourite are little net balls. She doesn’t like spray millet, and there are only a few actual bird treats that she likes. Every second or third day I give her fresh or dried fruits and vegetables, and her favourite are apples, strawberries and dried mango. I have heard that it is not recommended to give them a diet of seeds, but sunny will not eat pellets, at all. I currently give her a healthy food of mixed seed and pellets, and sometimes she may eat one or two pellets, but usually leaves them alone.
I have made a lot of research about conures, but it is really up to what works for your bird. For sunny, it is seeds, and balls toys, and being out of her cage. She also does not fly, even though her wings are not clipped. She has a small respiratory problem and gets exhausted very quickly, so she is active but not crazily so. She likes to take down ladders and perches, destroy her bedding whatever material it is ( I’ve tried corn cob, newspaper, gravel pads, everything), destroy toys, throw her food on the ground if she doesn’t like it, drink juice from your glass, chew on your lips, dance to music, take baths in the sink, etc.
All conures are unique, but I wanted to tell the story of my own unique bird, because all her little quirks and habits may be interesting to other people, or similar to their own bird pets. You can’t always believe everything you read or hear, so just take that info into consideration and try to do all your best for your bird. These birds are your friend for their entire life, and it is your responsibility to care for them and make their life the best it can be.
Sincerely,
Natasha and Sunny