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Blue-crowned ConureSharp-tailed Conure Family: Psittacidae
The Blue-crowned Conure, also referred to as the Sharp-tailed Conure is quite a character, as was demonstrated when this little bird became popularized by the movie "Pauli"!The Blue-crowned Conure is one of the most magnificent of the Aratinga conures. Not only is it beautiful, but is easily identified with it's attractive blue "crown".
Though initially somewhat shy, the Blue-crowned conure is very intelligent and will become a very tame, loveable companion. They enjoy playing and can become very lively and active. Though they are generally a quieter bird than most of their Aratinga cousins, they can become rather loud and this should be taken into consideration when obtaining one as pet. For more information about the care of Conures see:
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Scientific Name: Aratinga acuticaudata
Subspecies:
- Sharp-tailed
Conure
Aratinga acuticaudata acuticaudata - Blue-crowned Conure
Aratinga acuticaudata haemorrhous - Aratinga acuticaudata neumanni
Generally all three subspecies are referred to as the Blue-crowned Conure, though sometimes the name Sharp-tail Conure is applied specifically to the nominate species Aratinga acuticaudata acuticaudata which displays the most blue; while the name Blue-crowned Conure is used to describe the subspecies Aratinga acuticaudata haemorrhous that has less blue, restricted more to the forehead and the front part of the crown.
Distribution:
They are native to the central areas of South America from
eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela south to Paraguay, Uruguay, and
northern Argentina. They inhabit the more arid regions of tropical zones
living in thickets, grasslands, savannahs, and along the edge of forests.
Description:
The Blue-crowned Conure is a small member of the parrot family.
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The whole head as well as the cheeks and ear coverts are blue,
and sometimes there is a tinge of blue on the breast. They have
a generally green plumage that is more yellowish underneath. The
outer wings are a blue-brown going to a chestnut brown on the secondary
outer feathers. |
Size - Weight:
The Blue-crowned Conure or Sharp-tailed Conure will get up
to 11 3/4" (37 cm), and weigh about 6.7 ozs (190g).
Care and feeding:
A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out
for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play
pen or parrot perch.
In the wild the Blue-crowned Conure eats berries, fruits,
seeds, and nuts. As a pet they will enjoy a variety of sprouts, seeds,
nuts, fruits, vegetables, and commercial pellets, as well as the same
nutritional foods humans eat.
See About Conures: Housing and About Conures: Care and
Feeding for more information.
Social Behaviors:
They are sociable and live in small groups or sometimes in
flocks up to about 100 birds. They love to play, and can be fairly destructive
if not watched. They can also be rather loud though not nearly as noisy
as some of their Aratinga cousins such as the Nanday, Sun, and Jenday
Conures. They make a real fun, playful pet and are very popular.
Breeding/Reproduction:
In the wild these birds nest in tree hollows. They have been
found easy to breed in captivity and so are commonly bred. They are not
dimorphic so will need to be sexed either through a DNA sampling, surgically,
or through a chromosomal analysis.
The hen will lay three eggs which are incubated for about
24 days. The young fledge (leave the nest) in about 58 days.
See About Conures:
Breeding/Reproduction for more information on breeding.
Potential Problems:
As with most Aratinga species this bird can be noisy, though
it is quieter than some of the other poplar birds in this genus such as
the Sun Conure, Jenday Conure, and Nanday Conure.
See About Conures:
Potential Problems for information on illnesses.
Availability:
This bird is generally available. They can usually be found at
pet stores and reputable breeders.
Activities: Loves to climb and play. Provide lots of toys.
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Comments from people who have kept this pet:
My little Tiki has taken my heart for his own. He follows me around the house like a puppy and is so comical, never a dull moment. He loves to imitate my husbands arm movements, doing the same with his wings and yells, "MOMMA! MOMMA!" when he wants attention or is ready to come out of his cage early in the morning. (If too lazy to get the door open himself that is.) I couldn't imagine our life with out him. He's 5 months old, learns so quickly and his vocabulary consist of Step up, Daddy, Momma, Hello, Tiki Tired, Gimme Kiss, No, and making the kissing sound after saying gimme kiss or getting on your shoulder and leaning to your cheek. I love his bath time, the sounds he makes are hilarious. He doesn't know a stranger as my African Grey and Moluccan Cockatoo definitely do! He is also awesome with our 3 children!
I just recently got a bird named Pokey. He is 13 yrs old, well I assume he is he! "Blue Crown Conure mixed Red shouldered Mini Macaw". He is the most loveable little thing. He took to me right from the start, the previous owners really didn't think he would. He calls me mama and I call him baby. he likes the name baby, he never really responds to Pokey unless he is in trouble! He also likes to say NO! His new Words are "Wesley (my son's name), come here, sit, Taz (my little dogs name), love you, good bye, roll over". He is quit the character. Pokey has been a blessing to our family. Can't imagine life without our little bird, for me when my days are stressed Pokey makes me laugh! That is the best thing ever. Thank god for little birds like Pokey and the many other birds out there!
My blue crowned conure, Okka, is the best talker of all my parrots! He says over a dozen phrases and many more words that he seems to use often in appropriate moments like he understands. If I call "Okka!" he'll respond usually with a "What? Okka Out?!" And When I let him out of his cage I get an "Awwwwww. Okka Looooove You." He sings and dances and loves cuddling. I was always hooked on african grays for intelligence but these birds are just as clever and much cheaper. I strongly suggest researching them if you are looking for a smart bird.
We've had our blue crown, "Giggles" for over 4 years; we call him "baby bird" and just love him to death! He's bonded to my wife and gets very jealous of her and nips her if she does not spend enough time with her. Also Giggles laughs EXACTLY like my wife, which is a riot. Giggles likes to scream alot in the late afternoon which drives us nuts sometimes but we cannot imagine not having Giggles around. We recently added a second parrot to our "family", a Senegal about the same size as Giggles. We thought they would be buddies but they are more like rivals, sometimes Coco, our Senegal, chases Giggles around the cage or away from the food dishes. Giggles loves to eat macaroni, chicken wings, mashed potatoes, and God forbid he gets a hold of your chocolate chip cookie! We have a real time wrestling the chip out of his mouth!
While browsing we (my blue crown and I ) found your site! Chuckles is a healthy female fifteen years young. She is a dear sweet friend who has traveled the country with me in a pickup truck, lived in a camper, experienced tornados and is now very happy way out in the wilds of northern Utah. She laughs, says hello and makes various funny sounds. She eats her Bonanza seed mix plus apples, grapes, cooked salmon, yams and peas with cheddar cheese. Lucky bird...lucky owner. I hope to have the pleasure of her company for another fifteen years or more.
Great to see others enjoying the company of their BCC. We have Paco, he is approx 22-23 years old and is quite the grumpy old man (we think). Oddly enough he has Peaches, a Salmon-Crested Cockatoo (19 years old,) as a cage-mate. They have lived together for 19 years, mainly harmoniously, but we have had to bring in the occasional counselor for disputes. We did not discover that Peaches is a female until about 4 years ago when we found a large egg in the cage(definitely not from Paco). So now, once a year, Paco has to move out to an apartement on the other side of town (house) while Peaches cools down. On cooler evenings Paco is taken completely under Peaches wing, she folds her head under her wing where Paco is so all one can see is a large plump white mass with two large feet and two small feet sticking out. This is proof that we can all get along and live among one another no matter how noisy, messy or different we might me.
Author: Clarice Brough, CAS
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