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Patagonian ConureGreater Patagonian Conure Family: Psittacidae
The Greater Patagonian Conure is sometimes known as the Burrowing Parrot or the Bank-burrowing Parrot. This is because they have been known to 'burrow' up to 6 FEET into the side of a cliff or a bank just to build their nest!This genus consists of only the one species, of which there are three subspecies. Both the Patagonian Conure and the subspecies, the Greater Patagonian Conure are becoming common in captivity as they are growing in popularity.
Besides 'big feet' and the ability to 'burrow' the Patagonian Conures have some other very distinctive features. They are some of the largest conures, they tend to look more similar to macaws than to other conure species, and they have an unusual brown coloring. These birds are very social and love companionship, their natural behavior is to live in very large groups and to nest closely to one another. They make a very fine and affectionate pet. Being quite intelligent, they are good talkers. However they do have a harsh voice and can get rather loud. This along with being very sociable makes them an ideal aviary bird. For more information about the care of Conures see:
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Scientific Name: Cyanoliseus
patagonus
Subspecies:
- Patagonian
Conure
Cyanoliseus patagonus patagonus - Greater Patagonian Conure
Cyanoliseus patagonus byroni - Cyanoliseus patagonus andinus
Distribution:
The Patagonian Conures originally got their name from Patagonian,
an area that is now included as part of Chile and Argentina. They are
native to central Chili and the northern and central parts Argentina.
They inhabit open country and especially like areas around water. They
have also been noted to be very destructive to crops.
In Chili these birds had been greatly depleted, largely through
collecting of the young by natives to be eaten as delicacies, especially
during the feast of Saint Andrew. Today they are better safe-guarded as
Chili granted them legal protection in 1967.
Description:
The Patagonian Conure is a very large conure with the Greater
Patagonian Conure being even larger still, about 2 inches longer. The
head, neck, and upper back are olive-brown with some tinges of green,
while the Lower back, rump, upper tail, and underparts are more yellowish
with an olive tinge. The thighs and the center of the abdomen are an orangish-red.
The throat and breast are grayish-brown and there are white markings on
each side of the upper breast. These white markings are much more pronounced
on the Greater Patagonian Conure than the nominate species as well as
their having brighter and more intense yellows on the underparts. The
wings are olive with the outer feathers being blue moving down to a bluish
green on the outer secondary feathers. The tail is an olive-green tinged
with blue on the tip and brown underneath. They have a white eye ring
surrounding a yellow eye. The beak is gray and the legs are a flesh pink.
A younger bird will have a pale gray eye ring and the beak
is almost a horn color.
Size - Weight:
The Patagonian Conure will get up to about 17 3/4" (45
cm) and the Greater Patagonian Conure will get up to about 19" (48
cm)
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 Patagonian Conure eats seeds, berries, fruits,
and probably vegetable matter. As a pet they will enjoy a variety of sprouts,
seeds, 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 very sociable and have been recorded to live in
very large flocks. Today they are not as abundant and are being seen in
smaller flocks.
They enjoy being near to each other and even nest in close
proximity to one another. Their social behaviors make them wonderful pets
and they are very intelligent and good talkers. However because they do
have such a loud harsh call, they are also considered to be excellent
aviary birds.
Breeding/Reproduction:
In the wild these birds nest in burrows dug out in cliffs
or banks. Sometimes this burrows are up to six feet deep. The hen will
lay three to four eggs which are incubated for about 24 to 26 days. The
young fledge (leave the nest) in about 80 days.
See About Conures:
Breeding/Reproduction for more information on breeding.
Potential Problems:
This bird has a loud harsh call and can be noisy.
See About Conures:
Potential Problems for information on illnesses.
Availability:
This bird is becoming more available as it is increasing in popularity.
Activities: Loves to climb and play. Provide lots of toys.
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Comments from people who have kept this pet:
My pets name is Bazz. Im crazy about him and I cant imagine life without him. love my parrot for ever!
I have a patty named Ozzy. I have had her for about 6 yrs now and we are so attached to each other. She does get very noisy with what I call her singing. I was told she was a male when i got her but 2 yrs ago he laid eggs HAHA! She is outside her cage full time. She sleeps in her blankie. She burrows under it. it is the cutest thing. She prefers to walk instead of fly and follows me everywhere I go. She is also a "closet" talker. But she does like to laugh whenever she hears me laughing. she sounds so evil lol. She loves taking baths and splashing water everywhere. Most of the time she goes in the shower with me and plays in the water. She's not so friendly with the rest of my family but she tolerates them. She has never once bitten me. And she knows better than to bite my kids. A very intelligent bird, and she can follow commands and i swear she understands me when i am talking to her or lecturing her about something lol. Ozzy has been loose flying outside. She will ignore me calling her for a little bit but she always comes back and lands on me. I don't recommend doing that unless your patty is extremely attached to you. But she loves it soaring and screaming :)
I love my Patti. We have been through thick and thin for the last 19 years! She has traveled all places with me, including camping. And I say she, after 19 years she laid an egg tonight!
Patagonians are great pets, and my Bootsie is no exception. He's fully flighted, and he loves to fly to me, for which he gets extra points, of course. I have a number of other birds, and Bootsie is so sociable and so well liked by all of them that we call him "The Mayor" of the bird room. As far as being loud, he is on occasion, but he very seldom displays that side of himself. I find him to be absolutely delightful, and I hope he defies the statistics on longevity. More people should become familiar with the tremendous pet quality of this species.
When I brought my Greater Patagonian, Dominic, home I was given some wrong information apparently. I was told that Patagonians live about 50 years. On looking up info on the internet, I find that "although Patagonians on occasion will live to 25, the average life span is 12 years old" Well, I must be doing something right, because Dominic is now a happy, healthy, extremely playful 25 years old and has been with me the entire time. We are so close after all these years that he understands everything I say and every move I make. I am now retired and it's just the two of us, so it's like having a perennial two-year-old around the house. Dom has a vocabulary of 50 different words and phrases and uses them appropriately. He loves to cuddle and I have learned from living with him for 25 years that many bird "experts" are wrong when they say parrots merely mimic what they hear and have no understanding of what they are saying. The ones who say that birds (and other animals) have no emotions or feelings or empathy are also wrong and have obviously never been in a close living situation with a Patagonian. Bernardette Dixon Escondido, California
I too, have a patty named Lucy, and she is my heart! She is just over a year old and is the best companion parrot I've ever had. She talks a storm up when I'm not around saying things like, "ah, you're such a good bird! Hi, how's it goin? What doin? and Pretty, pretty, pretty girl." She never wants to talk when she's with me, so I call her a closet talker. I recommend anyone looking to get a parrot to consider a patty.
Author: Clarice Brough, CAS
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