Pfrimer's Parakeets aka Pfrimer's Conures
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The Pfrimer's Conure or Pfrimer's Parakeet (Pyrrhura pfrimeri) has often been considered a subspecies of the White-eared Parakeet, as Pyrrhura leucotis pfrimeri. It was recently confirmed as a separate species based on a maternal lineage test (mtDNA), as well as range, differences in habitat and distinctive differences in plumage (it is the only member of the P. leucotis complex where the pale "ear" patch is greatly reduced).
Distribution / Range
The Pfrimer's Conure can be found in the area around Santa Maria de Taguatinga, Goiás, in northeastern Brazil, where it is restricted to deciduous and semi-deciduous Caatinga forests (= "white forest" or "white vegetation"). These conures prefer dense forests with tall trees.
Outside the breeding season, they are usually seen in groups of 15 to 20 birds. The breeding season in their natural habitat is from May to July. They are not sedentary and constantly move about. Bonded pairs tend to stay close together. They are usually difficult to detect in the foliage of the trees as they are well camouflaged by their mostly green plumage. However, their noisy calls and chattering cannot be missed.
This parrot is classified as Endangered by BirdLife International. The primary threats to their existence are the on-going habitat loss within its already fragmented range and capturing for the pet trade.
Description
The Pfrimer's Conure averages 22 - 23 cm (8.5 - 9 ins) in length, including its long tail. The plumage is mostly green with blue markings on the wing, as well as a red-brown rump, tail and belly. The chest and breast have dark green scallops. The face is chestnut-red while the crown, lower back of the neck (nape) and back of the neck (hind neck) are dull blue.
Similar Species:
Similar to the White-eared Conure (Pyrrhura leucotis) and Grey-breasted Conures (Pyrrhura griseipectus), except the Pfrimer's Conure has generally more blue on the head and a reduced auricular (ear) patch.
The main differences from the White-eared Conure are as follows:
- Tthe forehead, lores, cheeks and part of ear-coverts (feathers covering the ears) are reddish-brown.
- The crown, nape (lower back of neck) and back of the head are dull blue.
- The breast is greenish-blue with whitish edging.
- The periophthalmic (eye) ring is blackish.
Diet / Feeding
Their natural diet consists of a variety of fruits (including berries) and flowers, seeds, as well as insects and their larvae.
Captive diet: Plenty of fruits, vegetables and greenfood should be available to them, in addition to a quality dry food / seed mix consisting of safflower seeds, oats, some sunflower (also sprouted), hemp, buckwheat, millet, canary grass seed, millet spray, and rowanberries. Provide fresh branches with flowers and buds for extra nutrition and to satisfy their urge to chew. Vitamin and mineral supplements as needed.
Personality:
These playful conures easily grow confiding and are inquisitive and active. They are quiet for most of the day, but can be heard when alarmed. They enjoy flying and should be provided with plenty of opportunities to exercise. They are susceptible during acclimatization, but are hardy once acclimatized. They enjoy bathing and chewing on fresh branches. They can get aggressive towards other birds.
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: Conures can become nippy, although this is less of an issue with this particularly conure species. Still, 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: Along with other Pyrrhura conures, they are only moderately loud, therefore making acceptable pets for apartment dwellers for the most part. However, these conures can still be noisy enough to potentially upset the neighbors of apartment dwellers or annoy those that are sensitive to noise. Like other conures, they tend to express excitement with a series of loud, shrill screams.
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:
Pfrimer's Conures are fairly easy to breed, but it's best to isolate pairs for breeding, as birds can disturb each other. Also, they can get aggressive towards other birds, particularly when in breeding mode.
The breeding season in the United States typically begins in April and the average clutch consists of 4 to 6 eggs, but 1 or 2 eggs are usually infertile. The incubation period is about 23 days and the young fledge ~ 50 days after hatching. The young mature when they are about 10 months old.
They should be provided with a spacious flight with the following minimum dimensions and environmental conditions:
- outside flight 2.5 x 1 x 2 m (9 x 3 x 6 ft)
- adjoining shelter 1 x 1 x 2 m (3 x 3 x 6 ft)
- minimum temperature 5°C (41°F)
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). Other breeders are successfully using a nest box of the following dimensions: 20 x 20 x 70 cm (8 x 8 x 28 ins). 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. The nest box should be available all year long as these conures are not only using them for breeding, but also for roosting in and to keep warm in when outside temperatures drop..
- Diameter of entrance hole: approx. 3 inches ( ~70 - 80 mm)
- Inspection hole: Can be square or round. Diameter: ~4 inches (100 mm)
- 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.
Nest inspections are generally not tolerated. If nest inspection is necessary, wait until 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 / Other Names
Genus: English: Red-tailed Conures ... Dutch: Roodstaartparkieten ... German: Rotschwanzsittiche ... French: Perruche à queue rouge
Species: leucotis pfrimeri ... English: Pfrimer's Conure ... Dutch: Pfrimers Witoorparkiet ... German: Pfrimers WeißohrSittich ... French: Perruche oreillon blanc Ribeiro
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