~ Conures ~

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Conures are a diverse, loosely-defined group of medium-sized to small New World parrots. Essentially they are large parakeets native to Central and South America. For parrots, conures are lightly built, with long tails (Conure literally means 'cone tail') and small, strong beaks. They have a diverse range of colors.

Conures are either large parakeets or small parrots that are found in the western hemisphere. They are analogous in size and way of life to the Old World's Rose-ringed Parakeets or the Australian parakeets. 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 macaws are so closely related to conures that strictly by descent, macaws 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."

Conures, as the term is used by aviculturists, include only the genera Aratinga and Pyrrhura, as well as several single-species genera and one double-species genus. These other genera are listed below:

• Conuropsis: Carolina Parakeet (extinct)

• Cyanoliseus: Patagonian Conure

• Enicognathus: Austral and Slender-Billed Conures

• Guarouba: Golden or Queen Of Bavaria Conure

• Leptosittaca: Golden-Plumed Conure

• Nandayus: Nanday Conure

• Ognorhynchus: Yellow-Eared Conure

Latin for "little macaw," (ara - macaw, tinga - diminutive) 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.

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