10 Conure Breeds You Can Keep as Pets 

Conures are charming birds that come in varying sizes ranging from small to medium. They are generally charming and playful.

So, they could be your best companion during meals or when you are hanging out.

There are many types of conures, but in this article we will explore 10 conure breeds that can make good candidates as pets.

1. Green Cheek Conure

The Greek Cheek Conure is a native to South America and usually prefers forest areas. This bird species loves staying in big flocks and is popular due to their beauty, small body, and intelligence.

As the name suggests, these conures are green-cheeked with a dark head, gray breast, blue feathers, and maroon tail. A mature conure can weigh about 70 g with an average length of about 10 – 11 inches.

But what makes them outstanding is that they can easily steal the hearts of many bird lovers. Their spunk, playful, and curious nature make them a great choice for a pet bird.

We can say that these birds have managed to pack a lot of big personalities and fun disposition into a small package. Unfortunately, Green-Cheeked Parakeets are an endangered species.

While Green Cheek Conures are not the best talkers, they can easily learn to talk to a friendly owner. Since they have a soft voice, they might not say anything understandable.

Typically, a Green Cheek Conure matures in about 1 – 3 years and will live for 35 – 40 years. In the wild, they eat a variety of fruits and seeds. They can also consume a number of vegetables matter.

But in gaged environments, they can feed on pellets, fruits, fresh vegetables, and fortified seeds. Avoid feeding them with fruit seeds, avocados, caffeine, chocolate, or alcohol, as they are not good for their health.

On top of this, you should provide them with clean, fresh chlorine-free water. If they cannot feed on fruits or vegetables, make sure to discard them after a few hours. Basically, treats should not be more than 10% of their daily intake.

2. Sun Conure

Just like Green Cheek Conure, Sun Conure possesses a friendly personality and bold appearance. Besides being adventurous and playful, they are also native to South America.

They are mainly found in Northern Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. But what makes them different is that they are quite vocal.

Most people love this bird species because of its extraordinary disposition, its stunning plumage, and exceptional characteristics as a companion bird. Moreover, they are expressive and vocal.

In terms of size, the Sun Conure is about 12 inches long. It features a bright orange and yellow coloring with some splotches of green. Besides this, The Sun conures are popular for their white rings around the eyes and a tapering tail.

This striking coloration makes the sun conure a darling to most pet owners. Their sweet temperament makes them easy to breed birds.

While both sexes seem to appear similar in color, females tend to have a rounder, small head while the males have a squarer, flatter head.

The good thing is that the sun conure is not a messy bird. Unlike smaller birds, they like to play outside the cage. Moreover, they won’t mind being left alone.

The bird can feed on any nutritional balanced diet, be it manufactured food, vegetable, or fruits. Naturally, they have busy beaks, so they will most likely love pellet foods.

3. Golden Conure

Golden Conure is a native to northern Brazil. The largest recorded population of this species was 500 and was spotted at the Tapajos River. Their total population is believed to be around 10,000 – 20,000 birds.

Sadly, they suffered greatly in the 1980s due to illegal trapping by predators and deforestation. What is interesting about these birds is that they are nomadic in lowland humid forest.

These superstars of the parrot world are quite bright in color. An adult golden conure features bright yellow outer upper wings and a dark green and yellowtail. Their breasts can have dull green spots.

Other notable features are pink/white eye rink, wide tail, and macaw-like beak. An adult can grow to an average length of about 13 inches. Overall, they share some characteristics with a few macaw breeds, but they are separate species.

Generally, they are lively birds that are fun for companionship. One of their adorable traits is their passion for talking. In fact, their mumbling almost resembles that of a human.

Their rich personality can make them a source of surprises and endless laughter. Being one of the endangered species, you wouldn’t want to hesitate to adopt or buy it if a chance comes by.

This species thrives best on a seed mixed diet. You should also provide them with protein-rich foods such as beans, cooked corn, and pulses. Vegetables and fruits can also make a good diet.

4. Cherry Head Conure

Cherry head conure is a talkative bird who traces its origin to South America. They are commonly found in the deep forests of northern Peru and southern Ecuador.

Being adaptive, they can also habit semi-urban areas. Some of these conures can be spotted in Hawaii, Spain, Mexico, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

They have most of the traits as the conure family, but cherry head conures still possess some unique traits.

Adult birds can grow up to 13 inches long, but most of it is taken up by tail feathers. Due to their length, you need to provide them with enough space in the form of a roomy cage. These birds can also fly freely within the house.

One unique trait about Cherry heads is that they love to make themselves heard. For new owners, cherry heads may appear too noisy.

So, you should be aware of this if you are staying in an apartment. But on a positive note, they will be one of your best talking companions.

In the wild, cherry head conures feed on insects, fruits, seeds, and tree blossoms. But in their captivity, they can feed on commercial seed mix for conures. Most of these feeds have a mix of oats, millets, and sunflower seeds.

5. Crimson Bellied Conure

Crimson-bellied conures are a native to Amazon forests, specifically the south-central region. They are also commonly found in secondary forest areas of Brazil and Bolivia. They are popular as the quietest and cuddliest among the conure family.

What is pleasing about them is their distinct multi-colored plumage. Their bodies are full of various colors with turquoise blue lower half wings and greenback, thighs, and wings. They also feature a small head, slender body, tiny beak, and tapered long tail.

These birds can live up to 14 years, but that could be more if they are in captivity. In this habitat, they can easily live beyond 20 years.

Lifespan aside, Crimson-bellied conures are a perfect bird for an apartment, as they aren’t the best talkers. If they try, they will only utter a few words. Other than these, they are cuddly and affectionate.

These conures are relatively small in size measuring about 10 inches. Females could be slightly smaller than this. An adult male weighs about 95 g while females weigh about 80 g. Since they are quite energetic, make sure to provide them with plenty of space.

Crimson bellied conure will feed on a healthy commercial seed mix. You can supplement this with a variety of vegetables and fruits. Also, maintain good hygiene.

6. Blue Crowned Conure

The blue-crowned conure originated from South America, specifically Argentina and Colombia woodlands and rainforests. In the wild, this species is often seen flocking together with Mitred conures.

The blue-crowned conure has high intelligence that matches its varied vocabulary. This conure particularly needs some mental stimulation to become alive. But the good thing is that they are sociable and affectionate creatures.

They can bond strongly with new people. Actually, a blue-crowned conure rarely bites. Unfortunately, you might only do much to train them to be quiet.

With its amazing feathers and intelligent gazes, these birds are not only a favorite companion, but they also staged the 1998 movie ‘Paulie’. While these conures might not speak as much as the Hollywood parrot, they are among the best talkers in the conure family.

In terms of appearance, the blue-crowned conure has a bluish head, pink legs, colored beaks, reddish tips on its tail feathers, white rings around the eyes, and a signature parakeet green body.

Blue-crowned conures are not the type of birds you can leave in the cage all day long. They are highly social, so they might need another friendly bird.

The good thing is that they can feed on a variety of foods. They thrive on a diet of fruits, quality pellets, and fresh vegetables.

7. Jenday Conure

Jenday conures are smart, energetic, and affectionate birds that can integrate well with most people. They are also colorful and intelligent. Because of their big personality and compact size, they could be ideal for families with kids.

Jenday originated from palm groves, woodlands, and dense vegetation of Brazil. This species usually travels in small flocks and is one of the protected species.

Jenday conures are naturally playful and loving companions. They can also be very cuddly, especially when you place them on your shoulder or shirt.

That is why most people find this bird to be charming. Other notable features of these conures are human-like speech. In fact, they can mimic household noises like microwaves and telephone rings.

In terms of appearance, Jendays features a multi-colored plumage with green wings and back on a red-orange body. Their wings are dashed with blue spots while their tails are completely blue.

They are likely to thrive if you provide them with a variety of diets. In their natural habitat, they usually feed on natural fruits, seeds, and nuts.

In captivity, you can give them pellet foods with a mix of fruits and vegetables. You can feed them with seeds on an occasional basis.

8. Pineapple Conure

These birds share the same lineage with Green cheek conures. They came into being as a result of a combination of Yellow-sided conure and Cinnamon. This mutation is what gives them a beautiful appearance.

They are also small in nature. Perhaps what makes them a good candidate for a pet bird is their playful and intelligent nature. While they may be quiet sometimes, they are friendly and attentive.

The strong colors of yellow-sided conure and Cinnamon are evident in Pineapple Conures. They have yellow sides with tan-colored heads and black feathers just like that of a Cinnamon conure.

On top of this, they feature an orange color at their lower peak feathers. Their tails range from maroon to red colors just like that of Yellow-sided conures.

Pineapple conures are among the quietest birds, so they could be ideal if you are living in an apartment. But that doesn’t mean that they are boring. In fact, they are playful and affectionate when you hold them.

Since they can be active sometimes, you need to feed them with healthy pellets or seeds. You can supplement this diet with highly nutritional blocks.

9. Nanday Conure

If you are looking for a pet that can easily brighten your day, then a Nanday conure is your ideal bird. They can be fun to be around with. These birds originated from South America.

They are usually found in a vast region that spans through Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. This area is referred to as Pantanal.

Nanday conures brim with a lot of energy and a feisty spirit. So, they can be noisy at times. They usually make a lot of noise when something goes against their wishes.

Apart from this, they have an above-average ability to talk. They can also mimic some common sounds.

Nanday conures are generally green with darker shades on the wink and back as well as lighter shades on the belly. Besides this, they could also have some blue spots on their chests and distinct red on the inner thighs.

In terms of diet, Nanday conure can survive on a diet of pellets and commercial seeds. These mixes usually contain essential nutrients such as millet, oats, sunflower, and milo. You can also provide them with green veggies.

10. Mitred Conure

This snappy green conure is an exciting, tiny parrot that enjoys playing with their owners. They are also good talkers.

Typically, Mitred conures are active and curious birds who are eager to explore the world. They originated from the Andes mountain region of South America. These conures thrive well in high-altitude forests.

Mitred conures can shower you with lots of attention and love, so they could be your best choice if you love interacting with pet birds. They are also active, meaning that they need a lot of exercise and interaction.

What is striking about their appearance is the obvious green body with bright red spots. These are mainly spread across the neck, face, and head. This appearance makes it difficult to be distinguished from cherry-headed conures.

The good thing is that Mitred conures can survive on simple meals. They can feed on most nuts, fruits, seeds, and vegetables. Just make sure to provide a balanced diet.

Wrapping Up

There you have it. Conures are sociable birds that can make an excellent family pet. But make sure to keep an eye on them because they tend to pick their feathers when they get bored.

Also, provide them with a healthy meal supplemented with fruits and vegetables.