Animal-World > Birds > Conures > Jenday Conure

Jenday Conure ~ Janday Conure

Jandaya Conure, Yellow-headed Conure

Family: PsittacidaeAratinga jandayaPhoto Courtesy: Flavia Lopes

   The Jenday Conure is probably the best known of the Aratinga conures, as well as being one of the most popular and commonly kept!

   The Jenday Conure is quite striking with its beautiful colors. They are closely related to the Sun Conure Aratinga solstitialis and the Golden-capped Conure Aratinga auricapilla. Sometimes there is confusion between the Jenday Conure and the Sun Conure but you can easily identify the Jenday by its green wings and back, while the Sun has mostly yellow wings.

   A super sweet bird, the attractive Jenday Conure is very sociable and makes a very tame and loveable companion. They love to "talk", and yes, they are rather noisy little creatures. Being very active, they enjoy playing with toys, climbing, and chewing. Their antics can be very comical and at the same time they are very affectionate.

   If you are looking for a beautiful conure, the Jenday Conure will certainly capture your attention. It is also much less costly than the Golden Conure or the Queen of Bavaria Conure, two conures which are often touted for their beauty.

For more information about the care of Conures see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Conure

Geographic Distribution Aratinga jandaya Data provided by GBIF.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae

Scientific Name: Aratinga jandaya

Distribution:
   These birds are native to northeastern Brazil.

Description:
   The Jenday Conure is a small member of the parrot family, and is very colorful. The head and upper breast are a golden yellow that blends into a reddish gold on the lower abdomen. Sometimes they will have an olive yellow breast. The wings, upper tail, and upper back are green moving into an orangish red on the lower back. The underside of the tail is black and the under side of the wings are an orangish red. The tip of the tail and the outer wing feathers are blue. The beak and the feet are black.
   A mature Jenday Conure reaches its full coloration at about two years of age. A younger bird will have duller coloration; a paler yellow head and neck with some greens, and a paler red on the breast.

Size - Weight:
   The Jenday Conure will get up to 11 4/5" (30 cm), 4.4 ozs for the male and
5 ozs for the female (125g -142 g).

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. They eat 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 live in pairs or small groups of 10 to 15 birds. They love to play, and can be fairly destructive if not watched. They can also be rather noisy. Despite all this, they make a real fun pet and are very popular.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   They breed readily if they have the right size aviary. Though these birds will need to be either DNA or surgically sexed for a certain determination, the iris of the female is light brown and they have a grayish white eye ring while the male's iris is darker and his eye ring is pure white.
   The hen lays three to four eggs which are incubated for about 26 days. Both parents will feed the young. The young fledge (leave the nest) after about two months. The ideal nest box size should be 21 1/2" x 10" x 11" (55x25x28 cm), with a 2 3/4" opening (7 cm) which the parents will chew on and alter it to their liking.
   There has been a hybrid conure produced by crossing a Jenday Conure with a Nanday Conure.

Potential Problems:    As with most Aratinga species, this bird can be noisy.
   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.

Author: Clarice Brough, CAS

Lastest Comments on Jenday Conure View all 45 comments on Jenday Conure Add Your Comment

Xochil Rubio - 2012-01-21 We have a 5y old Quaker and recently got a 4month old J Conure, now 7 months. He is clumsy when walking, hardly grooms himself and just a little at a time. So compared to my quaker he seems to be very slow, I figure it must be because he still a baby but I wonder if is normal or not for his age or if there might be a problem. I have been looking for Conure first year development, any coments or recomendations that help me? Click For Replies (1) Clarice Brough - 2012-01-21 His lack of preening may be that he hasn't started to molt yet. Jenday's go through their first molt at about 7 months of age, and then molt yearly after that. Reply

Vivian - 2012-01-11 My conure is almost 2 years old and we have had her for more than one year. Usually she is very lovely and get along with everyone in the family. My husband and I always let her play outside of her cage until 3 months ago when she suddenly started to bite some visitors very hard. After the same attack happened a few times, we started to put her into the cage when we have visitors. However, yesterday, after her attacked one lady who is my mothers friend, she attacked my mother twice as well. We thought maybe she was just confused about the two people and after one night, she would remember my mother again. Unfortunatly, she flew to my mother and bit her hard again when she saw her at the kitchen this morning. I had to put her into the cage sadly because my mother is so scared. I feel bad and worried. I do not want to lock her in the cage all the time, but I am afraid that she will attack my mother again. What should I do? Click For Replies (3) Vivian - 2012-01-11 Thank you very much Charlie. I feel better now after read your comments. You are right, she likes to sit on the chair next to mine and have dinner together with family, but I am not sure if it is safe to do so tonight. I think that talking to her and giving her little treats when she is in the cage is a good approach to reintroduce mom to her. I will try it tonight. However, holding her and getting close to my mom looks dangerous for now, because she becomes so aggressive that can not stay for one second on my fingure once she sees my mom. All she wants is giving her a big bite :( Charlie Roche - 2012-01-11 Sorta different behavior for a conure but certainly not unusual. Your little guy is part of your FAMILY FLOCK and has talken it upon himself to essentially protect HIS FLOCLK from outside creatures. That is pretty normal. A conure doesn't usually get agressive though but please realize yours is starting the big bad word PUBERTY. My guess would be that by accident or unpurpose someone frightened your little guy. It doesn't take a lot. My one bird is terrified of bright red hair. Little boy came in with bright red hair and my macaw went nuts - So probably a visitor came in and for some reason your little fella became frightened and yes - for some reason he now associates your mom with the visitor. Your mom has to be re-introduced to your little fella slowly --- She can just be around when he is in his cage and give him special treats (cheerios or hulled sunflower seeds). She can talk to him or you can HOLD him while she is there. Don't just remove the bird and place him in the cage but re introduce the feathered fella to the mom. Do it slowly. The bird thinks he is protecting you or possibly mis placed aggression against your mom's friend but it is going to be OK. Just might take some time and extra effort. Just go slow. Let the fethered fella go forward on his own time with your mom and don't try and force it. You can't just forcibly hold the conure in your hand and get him to make up to your mom cuz the conure will just bite you. You can set a plate for your conure when you eat dinner with all the good stuff from the table and let your mom give it to your conure though. It would be nice to know if at all possible what your moms friend and your mom have in common - ie something simple like a neck scarf or something. Charlie Roche - 2012-01-11 Similar thing but not exactly the same. I went on vacation and my neighbor who knows all my birds and geta along just fine with all watches/feeds them for me. I happen to be baby sitting a proven pair of amazons for someone else and the female got out of the cage. My neighbor couldn't just 'pick it up' and I told her to net or throw a towel over it. She did and all was OK except my cockatoo who gets along with everyone decided that my neighbor was the monster from Mars for 2 months. My neighbor felt terrible and it took a few treats and talking before my cockatoo would not just SCREAM at her but all is fine now. I would just go slow and give the bird some 'forgiveness time' for whatever frightened him. Conures are forgiving once they realize who actually belongs to the FLOCK. Reply

joann - 2011-12-20 I just got a 4 year old Jenday conure 5 days ago. Peepers is his or her name I'll call it a her. She hates me and snuggles my boyfriend. I'm hoping she will take to me soon. Click For Replies (7) Charlie Roche - 2011-12-20 Conures normally make a good all around pet for everyone. Possibly, your boyfriend reminds your little fella of the previous owner and it may just take a little time to adjust to new surroundings. JoAnn - 2011-12-21 You are probly right Peepers old owner had a beard and so does my boyfriend. But Peepers did take an almond from me this Morning:) Charlie Roche - 2011-12-21 Just keep giving her treats and realize you are a stranger to her and she is pretty little. Cheerios, peanuts, shelled sunflower seeds. She will come around. Charlie Roche - 2011-12-24 I doubt you are doing something WRONG. Conures are really social velcro companions and stick like glue for the most part. In the wild they constantly communicate with all memebers of the flock to make sure all are OK and everyone is in place. Mine is loose in the home and wings aren't clipped so he can fly to us whenever and he does. He is 100% housebroken. If someone leaves the room, many times he will make one big racket - I mean really big until that person returns or I convince him (actually via talking) that the MISSING person will be right back etc. They are calling their flock or sometimes a warning - before a storm is coming or a strange car or noise. It takes awhile for a bird companion to train us humans but we learn. JoAnn - 2011-12-23 Peepers was really loud today I gave her all her needs and left her cage open so she could come and go but she screemed all day what do I do or what am I doing wrong? JoAnn - 2011-12-26 Thank you for the advice Peepers is doing very well. She still screams when you leave the room but she quiets down faster when you return and talk to her. She still bites me when I try to get her to set up but it's better than her running away from me at least she is getting closer. She takes food from me all the time now. And if we tell her she is a good bird when she is quiet and turn our backs on her when she is to noisey she catches on. She can be quieted just by telling her to be a good bird. When she hangs upside down she will scream till we look at her and laugh and then she is happy. Silly bird. She is training us real well. JoAnn Candy - 2011-12-29 I have a Jenday Conure that is almost 2 1/2 years old. She screams when we leave the room as well. I think its just because they dont like to be alone. She is housed with my Green Cheek Conure that is 9 months old. They are comical. They def brighten your day with their silly selfs. Reply

Felicia - 2011-09-27 I just got a jenday conure parrot yesterday an she is two years old. I can't get her out of her cage or pet her because she bites. How can I get her to stop biting? Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-09-27 She is biting because she is afraid. If you were in your bedroom and King Kong came in to grab you - you would bite and kick. She is scared so let's slow down. Put food treats on the outside of her cage - cheerios, millet, cracker/honey -- and let her come out on her own. Talk to her, whistle, sing - whatever but let her come out on her own. Gradually go from letting her eat her treats peacefull while you just talk to her to letting her take them from your hand. I like cheerios as they can eat them fast and parrots seem to love them. Let her get used to your hand and you feeding her that way and thne just coax her on to your one hand while you hold the cheerio in the other. Go slow - if it takes a few weeks - it takes a few weeks. Your little gal has to learn that you are safe and you have to learn her language and her body movements. Getting bit isn't fun but you will learn her body position - head down, eyes go in and out and she's thinking about biting. Relaxed and upright or fluffy and she is waiting for a head pet. You need to learn about each other. OK? Alan - 2011-10-29 Time, sometimes lots of it, patience and small treats that the bird willingly accepts would be a good start. Rome wasn't built in a day, my grandpa said. :) Reply

Irene - 2011-04-21 Hello, my family adopted a Jenday Conure a few weeks ago. He flew on my sons shoulder when he was outside feeding our cows. I know it is a Jenday Conure by the photos seen on your website. He is very lovable and whistles tunes. I know he must have been someones pet, because he is so tame. He has a defected foot, that I believe must be from birth. What do I feed it, and what about bird baths? I never had a bird for a pet, and never liked birds before, but this bird is so lovable I can't help but be attached. Click For Replies (4) Charlie Roche - 2011-04-21 Attached is some information on the Jenday Conure regarding food, care, housing, etc. Quickly though, conures are very lovable pets and will attach to the entire family. A good name brand seed for conures (or general parrots) is great or you can do a pellet diet - again use a name brand. Conures will eat pretty much anything you eat but skip salt and no avocado and no chocolate. However, if you have scrambled eggs in the morning, he can have some. If you have vegatables at night - let him have some. They like chicken. I gave mine pizza. Fruits and vegatables are great for conures but remember the portion size. Him eating a grape is like an adult eating 1/2 a honey dew melon. Bathing - you can spray it with regular tap water or mine loves tpo be hosed down in the kitchen sink with the sprayer. The foot - to him it isn't a problem. So he is perfect the way he is. Just enjoy him and he will love you. Irene - 2011-04-25 Thanks for the info. We named him (I think it is a him) R.J. We could not decide on Rosco or Jasper, so we ended with R.J. He is so friendly. He is doing well on fruit and still seed purchased from Walmart. I live in a small town so it is Walmart or nothing. I have not tried a bird bath, he did not like the bowl of water in the bottom of his cage. Received the first bite yesterday, but besides that he is doing well. Charlie Roche - 2011-04-25 Biting does happen although usually very infrequently. I think only if they get frightened of something or they are totally adamant that they do not want to do what you want them to. Go in their cage. It might hurt a little but best to just say "NO" or I say "No hurt mama". If you jump up and down and yell, they will think it is a game and do it just to see your reaction. Conures are gentle little things. RJ is cute. Remember he can have anything that you eat that is nutricious also. You can feed him vegatables, a little meatloaf, macoroni and cheese (that is fun), etc. Alan - 2011-10-29 I cannot stress it enough two things, get rid of any non stick cookware you have in the house! A friend of mine didn't know this and while he was away his daughter burned one on the stove and within minutes his crested cockatoo and smaller parrot were on the bottom of the cage. Number two, seeds are not a good source of balanced nutrition for any parrot. Do some research, order online if you have to but get them on a good pellet diet, so you don't saturate the birds liver with oil from the seeds. Of course vegetables and fruit should be a supplement as well as a treat. Check online to see which ones are not allowed Reply

rose - 2010-01-02 Mary, I'm looking for an answer to the same question. My husband's friend had a Jenday that was always quite friendly with my husband. The friend ended up giving Kirby to my husband. At first, Kirby was friendly with everyone but after awhile he became attached to me and now attacks my husband. My husband says the bird thinks I'm his "mate" and views my husband as competition... The bird is still friendly with visitors. Just hates my husband and sons... Sounds crazy but my opinion is these birds easily get their feeling hurt when the one they love starts paying too much attention to someone else (human or feathered) -- and there is no fury like the fury of a Jenday who has perceived (incorrectly) the he/she has been scorned! Click For Replies (6) Stephen - 2010-06-26 I have a jenday and she is very jealous if I kiss my wife or pay too much attention to my family she goes insane, and tries to bite, it seems they take you into their flock. Any stranger better be very careful around her, it seems that she needs to get comfortable about them being around. Mary Green - 2010-06-30 Could be a male or female, I have a sun conure but he is a boy and the way I can tell if the bones are close together on the back end of the bird. The pelvis are close together it mean you have male bird. Female are their back end are close or very hard of the back bottom or if a opening space it mean a girl! Anonymous - 2010-08-21 Rose my mom just got a Jenday and loves her, but she has a tendency to bite her. Is this a normal behavior? If you have any suggestions, please feel free. Thank you, Brenda David - 2010-10-24 I had a Jendaya back in 1978, it used to sit on my head and preen my hair. Yes they usually get very close and treat you like there baby. Unfortunately the bird died after only 2 years, Tumor on the brain. Very upsetting. I recently was at petsmart and heard the typical squawk of a Conure and sure enough it was a young Jendaya, they love to squawk and scream, as soon as I came to the cage it quieted down. I almost bought it but i have a Border Collie who is very territorial, don't want to take a chance. tiffany - 2011-04-16 My Jenday killed my fish and the lady bugs I kept as pets since I played with the fish more. For the record, the fish could jump! RoseMarie - 2011-08-19 Boy, you've got that right! My Jenday Conure, Zuma, is sweet and loving but don't let one of the other birds, African Grey Temneh & common grey cockatiel, or our Main Coon cat, who is great with the birds, get to close or I get clobbered! Reply

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