Cherry Head Conure
Scientific Information:
Cherry-Headed (Red-Masked) Conures (Aratinga erythrogenys) are native to South-western Ecuador, North-western Peru. While this conure is commonly referred to as the Red-masked Conure in its natural habitat, it is better known as Cherry-headed Conure in captivity.
Feral populations of escaped pet or breeder birds exist in the United States, specifically Florida and California, One of the most well-known feral populations in San Francisco have been documented in the film "The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill" by Judy Irving. Breeding populations have also been observed in San Diego County, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley and Sunnyvale. They have also been introduced into Spain. The birds have been observed feeding on various fruits and blooms and are frequently nesting in palm trees.
The Cherry-headed Conure is endangered in its natural habitat and in 1994 has has been reclassified from a species of least concern to a species near threatened.
Description:
Red-masked Conures are medium-sized parrots that average 33 cm (13 in) in length, half of which is the tail.
They have a beautiful green plumage that is paler and more yellowish on the underside. The whole head is red, except for for the back half of the cheeks. There is also red on the shoulders, underside of the wings and the thighs. The eye is yellow surrounded by a white eye ring. The beak is horn colored and the legs are grey.
Young Red-masked Conures have grey eyes and lack the red on the head. The first red feathers appear at around the age of four months.
Personality:
These charming conures are popular pets and are loved for their clowny personality. They will take every opportunity to show off the tricks that they have learned. They are intelligent and affectionate, easy to tame and are good talkers.
On the down-side, they can be very noisy and people who are sensitive to noise will find it irritating. They also like to chew and need to be provided toys and natural branches to chew and "customize" to their liking. They do enjoy a variety of toys and a larger cage to accommodate all those toys is recommended.
Diet and Caging:
A balanced diet of Pellet, Seed, Nuts is essential. Commercial Parrot blend diets should be supplemented everyday with fresh Fruits and Veggies. MINIMUM cage size is 18 X 18 X 18 with Bar spacing of 1/2". A larger cage of 20 X 20 X 24 is highly recommended.
Pitfalls:
We love all Conures, but we do realize that they are not all for everyone! I like this pretty little Conure! But, they are loud! Their calls are shrill, but are not as loud as a Sun Conure. They can also tend to be fairly nippy and not quick to trust. They are a tad harder to find compared to a Green Cheek or a Sun, but for those looking for a bit of a challenge, they can be wonderful!
Cherry-Headed (Red-Masked) Conures (Aratinga erythrogenys) are native to South-western Ecuador, North-western Peru. While this conure is commonly referred to as the Red-masked Conure in its natural habitat, it is better known as Cherry-headed Conure in captivity.
Feral populations of escaped pet or breeder birds exist in the United States, specifically Florida and California, One of the most well-known feral populations in San Francisco have been documented in the film "The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill" by Judy Irving. Breeding populations have also been observed in San Diego County, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley and Sunnyvale. They have also been introduced into Spain. The birds have been observed feeding on various fruits and blooms and are frequently nesting in palm trees.
The Cherry-headed Conure is endangered in its natural habitat and in 1994 has has been reclassified from a species of least concern to a species near threatened.
Description:
Red-masked Conures are medium-sized parrots that average 33 cm (13 in) in length, half of which is the tail.
They have a beautiful green plumage that is paler and more yellowish on the underside. The whole head is red, except for for the back half of the cheeks. There is also red on the shoulders, underside of the wings and the thighs. The eye is yellow surrounded by a white eye ring. The beak is horn colored and the legs are grey.
Young Red-masked Conures have grey eyes and lack the red on the head. The first red feathers appear at around the age of four months.
Personality:
These charming conures are popular pets and are loved for their clowny personality. They will take every opportunity to show off the tricks that they have learned. They are intelligent and affectionate, easy to tame and are good talkers.
On the down-side, they can be very noisy and people who are sensitive to noise will find it irritating. They also like to chew and need to be provided toys and natural branches to chew and "customize" to their liking. They do enjoy a variety of toys and a larger cage to accommodate all those toys is recommended.
Diet and Caging:
A balanced diet of Pellet, Seed, Nuts is essential. Commercial Parrot blend diets should be supplemented everyday with fresh Fruits and Veggies. MINIMUM cage size is 18 X 18 X 18 with Bar spacing of 1/2". A larger cage of 20 X 20 X 24 is highly recommended.
Pitfalls:
We love all Conures, but we do realize that they are not all for everyone! I like this pretty little Conure! But, they are loud! Their calls are shrill, but are not as loud as a Sun Conure. They can also tend to be fairly nippy and not quick to trust. They are a tad harder to find compared to a Green Cheek or a Sun, but for those looking for a bit of a challenge, they can be wonderful!
