Austral or Chilean Conures
Enicognathus
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The Austral Conure or Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) is one of only two species in the Enicognatus genus.
These conures are found on the southern tip of South America and - along with the Slender-billed Conure (Enicognathus leptorhynchus) - they are the most southerly distributed of all parrots.
The Austral Conure is not as well known as many other conures - in fact, its sub-species, the Chilean Conure, is better known and easier to find. The Austral Conure was only recently introduced into aviculture. In fact, the first recorded captive breeding occurred in the early 1970s at the East Berlin Zoo. Even though it is a rare find at this point in time, as more and more are being bred in captivity, this species should become more readily available in the future.
Distribution / Range:
The Austral Conures are endemic to Chile, southern Argentina, and the islands in the Strait of Magellan. They occur mostly in wooded country, but can also be found in shrubland and farmland.
In their natural habitat, these conures nest in tree cavities - often deserted woodpeckers nests or in the top of dead palms. The Austral Conure female lays quite a large clutch of four to eight eggs which are incubated for 21 to 27 days. The Chilean Conure usually produces smaller clutches consisting of two to six eggs. The young leave the nest at six to eight weeks.
Austral Conures are social and peaceful conures that can usually be seen in flocks of 10 to 15 individuals, but large flocks of over one hundred (or more) occur. In the extreme south, they usually stay near sea level, but migrates up to 2000m at the northern end of its range. They move down into the foothills during bad weather; in fact weather conditions and availability of food are the main reasons for flock movements.
These conures spend much of the day in trees and shrubs foraging for food. At those times they are quite inconspicuous, landing at the top of the trees and scrambling down through the branches. These acrobatic conures can be seen feeding hanging upside down from branches. They are usually well hidden amongst the foliage and difficult to see, but the raucous metallic screeches they make whilst in flight can be heard for some distance.
Subspecies:
- Austral Conure or Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus ferrugineus)
- Averages 13 3/4 " (37 cm) in length and weighs around 4.9 ounces (139 g).
- Chilean Conure (Enicognathus ferrugineus minor)
- The Chilean Conure is better known and a more readily available conure than the nominate species - the Austral Conure.
- Range: The Chilean Conure is also from southwestern Argentina and Chili, but is generally found farther north.
- Physical Differences: The Chilean Conure is slightly smaller than the Austral, averaging 13 1/3" (34 cm) in length. The plumage is somewhat darker and it also has a darker head band. The belly patch often times disappears in the darker birds.
- Breeding: The Chilean Conure also lays smaller clutches than the Austral Conure (2 to 6 eggs).
Description:
This fairly large conure averages 33 - 37cm or 13 - 13.75 inches in length - so they are slightly larger than Quaker Parakeet). Australs weigh around 4.9 oz (139 g).
The plumage of the Austral Conure is mostly a dull green, lightly barred due to the dusky tips. The crown is tinged with blue and here the tips of their feathers are greyish black. Their forehead, lores (the region between the eye and bill on the side of a bird's head) and upper tail are reddish brown / a dull red and they have a brownish red patch in the center of their abdomen. The northern part of the range displays less red.
Their primaries (longest wing feathers) and primary coverts are green tinged with blue. The tail is a brownish red tipped with green.
They have a grey beak and the irides (= plural of iris) are reddish brown.
Immature birds are similar to adults, only the reddish brown markings on their forehead and abdomen are duller.
Diet / Feeding:
Natural Diet: Their natural diet consists of seeds, nuts, small fruit (i.e. berries), leaf buds, acorns and bulbous roots. Even though this conure will feed on various seeds, including grass and bamboo seeds, their favored food appears to be seeds of the Araucaria Araucana (also known as the Monkey Puzzle Tree). Swarms of these conures can be found in Araucaria forests when the seeds are ripe. In farmland areas, these conures cause considerable damage to crops whilst feeding on the ripened grain.
Captive Diet: A variety of seeds, fruits and vegetables should be provided, in addition to a good quality dry food mix. The general feeding ratio is f 25% seed, 10% pelleted (good quality pellets without harmful chemicals), 65% fresh vegetables and fruits and wheat bread. During the breeding season, additional buckwheat, safflowers and sunflower seeds should be provided.
Aviculture / Captive Birds:
The Austral Conure makes an excellent choice for an aviary as they are not overly noisy and become quite confiding with their caretakers. They do have to be carefully acclimatized and shelter should be provided as they sensitive to drafts and drops in temperature.
The average clutch consists of 4 to 8 eggs - although in one rare instance 10 fertile eggs were reported. The average incubation period is 26 days. The young wean at 12 to 14 weeks.
Their expected life span is 30+ years if the conditions are optimal -- meaning provided their life isn't cut short by accidents or due to malnutrition, as many do. These conures reach maturity when they are about 2 years old.
Personality / Pet Potential & Requirements:
These active birds need a roomy cage or flight to be happy and healthy. If kept in a cage, it should be let out for extended periods every day. Pet birds like to spend most of their time on a play stand or parrot perch. As this conure is sensitive to drafts and drops in temperature, a night shelter is recommended and will be greatly appreciated. A good sleeping box size is 24" x 19 1/2" x 17 34" (60x50x45 cm).
Austral Conures make sweet and loveable companion birds with an easy-going disposition. Austral Conures are fun-loving, inquisitive and mischievous. They are moderately noisy and most are not very nippy.
They tend to be more active in the evening, which makes them a good choice for people who spend their evenings at home and enjoy to interact with their pet at that time. These conures love to climb and play.
They love to play!
They are very active parrots that like to play, explore and chew. Lots of toys are recommended to keep their beaks from "getting busy" on your furniture.
- Toys can be home-made or purchased online or are available at your local bird store.
- Toys can also be things that I bet you never thought were toys at all! Please refer to the foraging page for easy, inexpensive or FREE tips to entertain your pet.
How much attention do they need?
Like all parrots, they are social birds. They do require daily interaction with their social group, entertainment, things to do -- or else they will become bored and develop behavioral problems. In the wild, they would never leave the company of their flockmates. In a captive pet situation, a hand-fed conure requires the same social interaction from you and your family.
If you have little time to give, a parrot would not be a good choice for you. You would need someone at home several hours a day at a minimum, preferably someone should be home most of the day. I would recommend that there be people at home, with the bird, for at least several hours every day or the majority of day.
It's best to keep your pet conure where the center of activity is, usually the family room, and leave the cage door open or allow your pet to be on a playpen whenever someone is at home. During this time some direct interaction should be provided, such as talking to your pet, petting it, or placing it on your shoulder while you surf the internet, watch tv or go about your other activities. My parrot even joins me in the gym!
Do they make good family pets?
In general, conures make good family pets as long as they have been well socialized. They don't mind a lot of activity - in fact, the more "fun stuff" is going on, the more entertained and happier they tend to be. They usually get along well with all family members, although they are likely to eventually choose a favorite; but as long as they are exposed to, and socialized by, other family members, they should maintain their friendliness with the others. Conures love to be touched and handled - another reason why they often do well with kids.
However, they go through nippy phases that can be hard on children as well as on adults. Teaching the child appropriate handling of the conure will help prevent some painful experiences - however, it will never entirely eliminate them. The tamest pet bird gets startled and bites - without this being a true reflection on its personality. It's a natural reaction. Experienced pet owners learn to read the body language of their pets and can avoid most of these "accidental encounters." Training is important to prevent an accidental bite from turning into a behavioral problem.
It is difficult to instruct smaller children on proper parrot handling, and their interactions with the conure should always be supervised. But children who have learned to handle the conure gently and confidently usually don't have a big problem with aggression. How well the child-parrot interaction goes really depends on the maturity level of the child, as well as the proper socialization-level of the parrot. Admittedly though, some genetics come into play as well. Some individual parrots are more aggressive than others. Often this is a family trait and one parrot pair produces sweet babies, while others produce nippy offspring. Sweet babies can turn nippy, if not socialized well, and nippy (usually nervous / fearful birds) can be taught to be good family pets. Birds do pick up on stress and anger that we humans may feel and this can impact their personality and likelihood to be aggressive towards us. It is always best to approach a bird calmly and focus on, and enjoy, the interaction with the parrot rather than reflecting on problems in your life. Doing so will actually be conducive to your own health, as it will help you relax.
There never will be a guarantee that a meaningful relationship between the children in the family and the pet parrot develops and if things don't go well, the conure may end up being a pet for the adults only. For this reason, it is not recommended to buy a parrot as a pet for the kids - this needs to be a family pet, with the adults taking on most of the responsibility.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Conures, albeit their smaller size, do present their challenges, and they are not the best "starter" birds, although some species are easier to keep than others. It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established.
Conures are known for their loud and harsh calls, which is a natural way of communication and social interaction and shouldn't be "trained away" -- however, they can develop into excessive screamers, which really requires early intervention.
Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation. Behavioral challenges that conures present include:
- Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Undisciplined conures will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. The owner needs to provide plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach your pet what is "off-limits."
- Biting: Astral Conures can become nippy, although far less so than is the case with other conures. Like most parrots they are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established.
- The "Noise" Factor: As is the case with many conure species, the Austral Conure can be noisy - but they tend to be less so than most of the other conure species. Their call can be high-pitched and somewhat annoying. Even though their natural voicing can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your conure.
Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...
- AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
If you are considering a conure as a pet, the following web resources might be of interest:
- Procuring your Parrot
- Breeders:
- Click here for a listing of breeders by state / country. Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- Housing & Caring for Your Conure: Conures love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
Breeding / Reproduction:
They are monomorphic and reach sexual maturity around two years of age. The cock usually sits on or near the nesting box.
These conures are fairly easy to breed. Below are the dimensions of nesting boxes usually used for these conures. However, the dimensions can vary widely, as they are influenced by the owner's and the birds' preferences. The preferences of the breeding birds can also be influenced by the size and type of nest-box / log in which the bird was hatched and reared.
If space allows, offering a choice of sizes and types of logs or nest-boxes, and placed in various locations within the aviary, can allow the parent birds to make their own choice. Once a pair has chosen a specific nest-box/log and been successful in it, offer that one to them each breeding season. Try and keep that one for their exclusive use. Once a pair has chosen its log or nest-box, the other ones can generally be removed. If the "spare" boxes are to be removed and moved to another flight, ensure the log / nest-box is cleaned to ensure the receptacle has the minimal contamination of mites, parasites and pathogens.
Log / Nest-box:
Marcy Covault from Feathered Companions Aviary suggests using a deeper box, either a bootbox or a vertical grandfather box (18" - 24" deep). Some conures do accept cockatiel-sized boxes, but using a deeper box will reduce the conures' tendency to remove the shavings and lay their eggs on the bare wooden base.
- Length / depth: approx. 16 - 24 inches (400 - 600 mm)
- Log / nest-box internal dimensions approx. 10 inches square (250 mm square)
- Diameter of entrance hole: approx. 3 inches ( ~70 - 80 mm)
- Inspection hole: Can be square or round, approx. 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter.
- A Removable top / lid can be a useful access point for inspections and for cleaning.
- Location and height of log / nest-box: Install in a sheltered part of the aviary at about 5 feet (~1.5 - 1.8 meters) height, but not too close to the roof to cause heat problems in the hotter months.
- Angle of log or nest box: 45 degrees through to vertical. Most boxes are vertical.
- Nesting log / nest-box material: Add about 2 inches of decomposed suitable nest box litter to the bottom of the box to help stabilize the eggs and absorb the droppings from the chicks.
Options for suitable nesting material are decomposed non-toxic saw dust, corn cob, shredded newspaper, clean straw / dried grass or wood shavings (i.e., Aspen shavings or wood chips). The larger wood chips the better, so the parents don't feed it to the babies or the chicks accidentally ingest it.
Please note that some wood shavings - such as pine, cedar and redwood - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and can cause dermatitis, allergic symptoms and irritation of the digestive tract. They should not be used in cages, aviaries, or nestboxes. - Incubation: Both hen and cock share in incubating the eggs.
Conures have a habit of removing all the nest box material and laying their eggs on the bare wooden base.
Nest inspection is generally not tolerated. If nest inspection is necessary, wait till both parents have left the nest. They can be aggressive and protective of the nest area when breeding.
For additional breeding-related information, please visit this website.
Taxonomy:
Genus: Scientific: Enicognathus ... English: Slender-billed Conures ... Dutch: Langsnavelparkieten ... German: Smaragdsittiche ... French: Perroquet emeraude
Species: Scientific: Enicognathus ferrugineus ferrugineus ... English: Austral Conures, Magellan Conures, Emerald Parakeet... Dutch: Magelhaenparkiet, Smaragd Parkiet ... German: Smaragdsittich ... French: Perruche émeraude ... Sub-Species: minor ... CITES II - Endangered
Distribution: Southernmost Chile, Southern Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots
Sub-species:
Chilian Conures:
Genus: Scientific: Enicognathus ... English: Slender-billed Conures ... Dutch: Langsnavelparkieten ... German: Smaragdsittiche ... French: Perroquet emeraude
Species: Scientific: Enicognathus ferrugineus minor ... English: Chilian Conure ... Dutch: Chileense Parkiet ... German: Kleiner Smaragdsittich, Chilenischer Sittich ... French: Perruche émeraude de Chili ... CITES II - Endangered
Distribution: Southern Chile, South-western Argentina
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo)
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