Blue-crowned Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Blue-crowned Parakeet, Blue-crowned Conure, or Sharp-tailed Conure (Aratinga acuticaudata) is a parakeet
native to large parts of South America
, from eastern Colombia
in the north to northern Argentina
in the south. They inhabit savanna-like habitats, woodland and forest margins, but avoid dense humid forest such as the Amazon
.
Members of the genus Aratinga
are officially called parakeet
s by the AOU
and by birders, though usually called conure
s in aviculture
.
The Blue-crowned Parakeet is one of the larger birds in the genus Aratinga
measuring approximately 37 cm (14.5 inches) in length and weighing between 140 and 190 grams (4.9 - 6.7 ounces). Blue-crowns have many features common to the Aratingas, including green plumage, long, tapered tails, horn and black-colored beaks, and featherless eye (periophthalmic) rings.
Blue-crowns are born with red coloring around the head, but blue-crowns are predominantly green, with dull blue coloring on the forehead, crown, cheeks, and ears in the nominate, but less blue in other subspecies
. It has a ring of white featherless skin around each eye, though this is bright orange-yellow in wild A. acuticaudata neumanni. The breast feathers may also be tinged with blue, though they are more commonly green to yellow-green. Closed wing coloring matches that of the body while extended wings show blue-brown, becoming chestnut on the outer flight feathers. The tail feathers are green on top, maroon to red-brown on the underside, iridescing to bright orange and scarlet under full-spectrum light. Legs are pink-brown with grey-brown claws. The upper mandible is horn-colored, tapering to a needle-sharp, grey-black tip. In the southern and western nominate and subspecies neumanni, the lower mandible is horn-colored in juveniles, fading to grey-black by the bird's second year. The remaining eastern, central and northern subspecies retain the horn-colored lower mandible throughout adulthood.
is a hole in a tree. The eggs are white and there are usually three to four in a clutch. The female incubates the eggs for 26 days, and the chicks fledge
from the nest about 52 days after hatching.
. They are social birds and are relatively poor talkers, although better than most Aratingas. They have become quite popular as pets, with a reputation as one of the "easier" parrots to care for. However, they are also intelligent, high-energy birds that require a lot of attention and a cage with ample room and toys. They can also be quite loud at times. Consequently, they are more appropriate companions for serious bird enthusiasts rather than the casual birdkeeper.
They are considered to be the most intelligent type of parakeet. Since they are so intelligent, they can learn a number of words or phrases and can do many tricks. These birds love to receive praise or treats for doing the right things. Blue Crown Parakeets are friendly, calm, playful, inquisitive, and affectionate. However, they can be very noisy when they want you attention. Biting isn’t considered a problem with these birds, so they make great family pets. It is not advisable to keep them locked up in a cage all day, but they are known as escape artists, so a locked cage may not contain them for long. Blue Crown Parakeets love exercise and playtime and love to cuddle. These birds must have their feathers groomed by their keepers.
. The movie used 14 birds to play the role of the talking parrot and caused a surge in the popularity of Blue-crowned Conures as pets.
A Blue-crowned Conure also played a prominent role in the documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
. The movie spends much of its time following Connor, a lonely Blue-crown Conure in a mixed flock of Cherry-headed and Mitred Conures.
Parakeet
Parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers...
native to large parts of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, from eastern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in the north to northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in the south. They inhabit savanna-like habitats, woodland and forest margins, but avoid dense humid forest such as the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
Members of the genus Aratinga
Aratinga
Aratinga is a genus of American parakeets. They belong to the long-tailed group and are among the genera often called conures in aviculture. Most are predominantly green, although a few are predominantly yellow or orange. They are social and commonly seen in groups in the wild...
are officially called parakeet
Parakeet
Parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers...
s by the AOU
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
and by birders, though usually called conure
Conure
Conures are a diverse, loosely-defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. They belong to several genera within a long-tailed group of the New World Parrot subfamily Arinae. The term "conure" is used primarily in bird keeping, though it has appeared in some scientific journals...
s in aviculture
Aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
.
Taxonomy
The Blue-crowned Parakeet has five subspecies:- Aratinga acuticaudata (Vieillot 1818)
- Aratinga acuticaudata acuticaudata (Vieillot 1818)
- Aratinga acuticaudata haemorrhous Spix 1824
- Aratinga acuticaudata koenigi Arndt 1995
- Aratinga acuticaudata neoxena (Cory 1909)
- Aratinga acuticaudata neumanni Blake and Traylor 1947
Description
Aratinga
Aratinga is a genus of American parakeets. They belong to the long-tailed group and are among the genera often called conures in aviculture. Most are predominantly green, although a few are predominantly yellow or orange. They are social and commonly seen in groups in the wild...
measuring approximately 37 cm (14.5 inches) in length and weighing between 140 and 190 grams (4.9 - 6.7 ounces). Blue-crowns have many features common to the Aratingas, including green plumage, long, tapered tails, horn and black-colored beaks, and featherless eye (periophthalmic) rings.
Blue-crowns are born with red coloring around the head, but blue-crowns are predominantly green, with dull blue coloring on the forehead, crown, cheeks, and ears in the nominate, but less blue in other subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. It has a ring of white featherless skin around each eye, though this is bright orange-yellow in wild A. acuticaudata neumanni. The breast feathers may also be tinged with blue, though they are more commonly green to yellow-green. Closed wing coloring matches that of the body while extended wings show blue-brown, becoming chestnut on the outer flight feathers. The tail feathers are green on top, maroon to red-brown on the underside, iridescing to bright orange and scarlet under full-spectrum light. Legs are pink-brown with grey-brown claws. The upper mandible is horn-colored, tapering to a needle-sharp, grey-black tip. In the southern and western nominate and subspecies neumanni, the lower mandible is horn-colored in juveniles, fading to grey-black by the bird's second year. The remaining eastern, central and northern subspecies retain the horn-colored lower mandible throughout adulthood.
Breeding
The Blue-crowned Parakeet's nestBird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is a hole in a tree. The eggs are white and there are usually three to four in a clutch. The female incubates the eggs for 26 days, and the chicks fledge
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
from the nest about 52 days after hatching.
Aviculture
Blue-crowned Parakeets are generally called Blue-crowned Conures in avicultureAviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
. They are social birds and are relatively poor talkers, although better than most Aratingas. They have become quite popular as pets, with a reputation as one of the "easier" parrots to care for. However, they are also intelligent, high-energy birds that require a lot of attention and a cage with ample room and toys. They can also be quite loud at times. Consequently, they are more appropriate companions for serious bird enthusiasts rather than the casual birdkeeper.
They are considered to be the most intelligent type of parakeet. Since they are so intelligent, they can learn a number of words or phrases and can do many tricks. These birds love to receive praise or treats for doing the right things. Blue Crown Parakeets are friendly, calm, playful, inquisitive, and affectionate. However, they can be very noisy when they want you attention. Biting isn’t considered a problem with these birds, so they make great family pets. It is not advisable to keep them locked up in a cage all day, but they are known as escape artists, so a locked cage may not contain them for long. Blue Crown Parakeets love exercise and playtime and love to cuddle. These birds must have their feathers groomed by their keepers.
Popular culture
The most famous fictional Blue-crowned Conure is the title character in the 1998 movie PauliePaulie
Paulie is a 1998 family film about a talking parrot named "Paulie". It was directed by John Roberts and written by Laurie Craig, and it was produced by Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, and Allyson Lyon Segan for Mutual Film Company and DreamWorks...
. The movie used 14 birds to play the role of the talking parrot and caused a surge in the popularity of Blue-crowned Conures as pets.
A Blue-crowned Conure also played a prominent role in the documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is a 2005 documentary film directed, produced, and edited by Judy Irving. It chronicles the relationship between Mark Bittner, an unemployed musician who is living rent-free in a cabin in Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, California, and a flock of feral parrots ...
. The movie spends much of its time following Connor, a lonely Blue-crown Conure in a mixed flock of Cherry-headed and Mitred Conures.