Painted parakeet, or painted conure

Painted parakeet, or Painted conure (Pyrrhura picta)

Phylum —chordata
Class — aves
Order — psittaciformes
Family — psittacidae

Genus – pyrrhura

Appearance

The Painted conure averages 8.5 to 9.6 inches (~24 cm) in length, including its long tail.

It has a mostly green plumage. The feathers on the chest are dark with broad whitish-grey tips, resulting in a distinctly scaled effect. The crown and nape (lower back of the neck) are dark brown, strongly suffused with blue on the forecrown. The lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird's head) and upper cheeks are reddish-brown. The feathers covering the ears are buff-white. They have a reddish-brown patch on the center of the abdomen and a brownish-red patch extending from the lower back to the upper tail-coverts (feathers). The primary wing feathers and outer webs of primaries (longest wing feathers) are blue. The tail above is brownish-red turning green towards base. The beak is brownish-grey, the irises generally brown and the legs are greyish.

Both males and females look alike.

Habitat

The Painted parakeet - is endemic to northern South America (north of the Amazon River); specifically, the Guianas, and most regions of the Amazon Basin - except the northwest Basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. They also occur in locales of Panama in Central America.

Behavior

Outside the breeding season, groups of 5 to 12 birds or more birds may congregate in favored feeding areas. Bonded pairs tend to stay close. Mixed feeding groups with Golden-winged parakeet and Pearly conure also occur. They regularly visit water places to drink and bathe as well as feed on mineral-rich soil of clay-banks and barreiros in rain forest.

This species prefers dense and tall trees and tends to move around a lot. They are conspicuous through their loud calls, but are difficult to detect in the foliage because of their camouflaging plumage.

Diet

Natural diet of these birds consists of fruits (including berries), flowers, seeds, vegetable matter as well as insects and their larvae. They occasionally feed on algae on the surface of ponds.

Reproduction

The breeding season in Panama and Colombia stretches from March to June; in Surinam from February to April; and in Brazil and Bolivia from July to December.

The average clutch is anywhere from 4 to 9 eggs, and a good part of them tend to be infertile. Both parents share in the incubation duties, which will last 21-23 days. When not incubating, the male usually sits on or near the nesting box. The young fledge when they are about 50 days old. Young are mature and able to breed when they are about 2 years old. One breeding a year is the norm, occasionally two breedings are possible, particularly if the first clutch is pulled early for handrearing.

In captivity

In captivity Painted parakeet can live for up to 15-20 years.

This small parrot is quieter than other conures and well-socialized Painted conures can be very sweet-natured. Painted conures have lots of energy and love to play. A roomy cage to accommodate lots of toys and natural branches should be provided to this active conure. Neglected or bored Painted conures are inclined to feather plucking.

These are active conures that are not too noisy, unless they get alarmed or excited. They enjoy bathing and chewing fresh branches.

They should be offered plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and greenfood. Offer a regular supply of branches with flowers and buds for added nutrition and to satisfy their urge to chew. A good quality seed mix with safflower seeds, oats, some sunflower seeds, hemp, buckwheat, millet, canary grass seed and rowanberries should be available at all times. Sprouted seeds should be offered daily, as well as millet spray several times a week. Provide vitamins and mineral supplements, as needed.