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Sun Conure
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis) or Sun Parakeet is a medium-sized brightly coloured parrot native to northeastern South America. It is commonly kept in aviculture.
Taxonomy
The Sun Conure was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae. As Linnaeus did with many of the parrots he described, he placed this species in the genus Psittacus, but it has since been moved to the widely accepted Aratinga, which contains a number of similar New World species, while Psittacus is now restricted to the type species, the African Grey Parrot. The specific epithet solstitialis is derived from the Latin for 'of the summer solstice', hence 'sunny', and refers to its golden plumage. There are two widely used common names: Sun Parakeet as used by the AOU and widely in official birdlists, field guides and by birders, and Sun Conure, used in aviculture and by some authorities such as Thomas Arndt.
Subspecies
The Sun Conure is monotypic, but the Aratinga solstitialis complex includes three additional species from Brazil: Jenday Conure, Golden-capped Parakeet and Sulphur-breasted Parakeet. These have all been considered subspecies of the Sun Conure, but the majority of recent authorities maintain their status as separate species. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the Sun and the Sulphur-breasted Parakeet represent one species, while the Jandaya and Golden-capped Conure represent a second. Of these, the Sulphur-breasted Parakeet was described only in 2005, having gone unnoticed at least partially due to its resemblance to certain pre-adult plumages of the Sun Conure. The Sun, Jandaya and Golden-capped Parakeets will all interbreed in captivity (it is likely, but unconfirmed, that the recently described Sulphur-breasted also will interbreed with these). In the wild, hybrids between the Jandaya and Golden-capped Conure have been reported in their limited area of contact, but it has been speculated that most such individuals could be sub-adults (which easily could be confused with hybrids). As far as known, the remaining taxa are entirely allopatric, although it is possible that the Sun Conure and the Sulphur-breasted Parakeet come into contact in the southern Guianas, where some doubts exists over the exact identity.
Description
On average, Sun Conures weigh approximately 110 g and are approximately 30 cm long. They are sexually monomorphic.
Adults have a rich yellow crown, nape, mantle, lesser wing-coverts, tips of the greater wing-coverts, chest and underwing-coverts. The face and belly are orange. The base of the greater wing-coverts, tertials and base of the primaries are green, while the secondaries, tips of the primaries and most of the primary coverts are dark blue. The tail is olive-green with a blue tip. From below, all the flight feathers are dark greyish. The bill is black. The legs and the bare eye-ring are grey, but the latter often fades to white in captivity (so using amount of grey or white in the eye-ring for determining "purity" of an individual can be misleading). It is easily confused with the closely related Jenday Conure and Sulphur-breasted Parakeet, but the former has entirely green wing-coverts, mantle and vent, while the latter has green mottling to the mantle and less orange to the underparts. The Sun Conure is also superficially similar to the pale-billed Golden Conure.
Juvenile Sun Conures display a predominantly green plumage and resemble similar-aged Sulphur-breasted Parakeets. The distinctive yellow, orange and reddish colouration on the back, abdomen and head is attained with maturity.
Habitat and behavior
Its exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. It is widely reported as occurring in savanna and coastal forests, but recent sightings suggest it mainly occurs at the edge of humid forest growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and crosses more open habitats only when travelling between patches of forest.
Like other members of the genus Aratinga, the Sun Conure is social and typically occurs in groups of up to 30 individuals. It has been reported as nesting in palm cavities. It mainly feeds on fruits, flowers, berries, nuts, and the like. Otherwise, relatively little is known about its behavior in the wild, in part due to confusion over what information refers to the Sun Conure and what refers to the Sulphur-breasted Parakeet. Regardless, the behavior of the two is unlikely to differ to any great extent.
Distribution and status
The Sun Conure occurs only in a relatively small region of north-eastern South America: the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. It also occurs as a vagrant to coastal French Guiana. Its status in Venezuela is unclear, but there are recent sightings from the south-east near Santa Elena de Uairén. It may occur in Amapá or far northern Pará (regions where the avifauna generally is very poorly documented), but this remains to be confirmed. Populations found along the Amazon River in Brazil are now known to belong to the Sulphur-breasted Parakeet.
In the past, the Sun Conure has been considered safe, but recent surveys in southern Guyana (where previously considered common) and the Brazilian state Roraima have revealed that it possibly is extirpated from the former and rare in the latter. It is very rare in French Guiana, but may breed in the southern part of the country (this remains unconfirmed). This species is very popular in captivity, and large numbers have been caught for the pet trade. Today it is regularly breed in captivity, but the capture of wild individuals potentially remains a very serious threat. This has fuelled recent discussions regarding its status, leading to it being uplisted to Endangered in the forthcoming 2008 IUCN Red List.
Aviculture
The term conure readily identifies the bird as one of the species of small to medium sized parrots with a long tail of the tribe Arini, that are mainly endemic to South America. They reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age, and can live for 25 to 30 years. The hen lays a clutch of four to five eggs, with an incubation period of 23 days.
The Sun Conure is noted for its loud squawking compared to its relatively small size. It is capable of mimicking humans, but not as well as some larger parrots.
Sun Conures are popular as pets because of their bright coloration and ability to talk. Due to their inquisitive temperaments, they demand a great deal of attention from their owners, and can sometimes be loud. Like many parrots, they are determined chewers and require toys and treats to chew on.
Hand reared pets can be very friendly towards humans that they are familiar with, but they may be aggressive towards strangers. Sometimes they can be aggressive towards the owner. They are one of the friendliest of the Conure species, but they are one of the loudest. |
haraprasan, tasos, marhowie, ppmiranda, Juyona, pekkavalo1, Silvio2006, rousettus, Pentaxfriend, maurydv, PaulH, vanderschelden, aido, boreocypriensis, XOTAELE, mlines, SelenE, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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Hi Peter,
A nice capture of this beautiful parakeet. Excellent composition and sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.
- tasos
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 13 W: 0 N: 18]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-s.gif)
(191) - [2008-05-18 2:46]
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Hi Peter
Very nice picture and very beautiful bird. Nice composition.
Well done
Tasos
Hi Peter
Good capture of this beautiful parrot in the wild. Good use of the flash and he stands out well on a good OOF background.
Good sharpness and plumage details.
Chris
Delightful picture of a Sun Parakeet, Peter.
Sharp focus, fine details and rich saturated colours.
The POV is excellent. The subject seems to be at peace with itself.
TFS and regards.
Ram
Great job on this Peter, looks great.
I like the graduated grey of the BG..
Excellent color, comp, DOF, detail, POV, and a nice pose with eye contact.
Well done!
Howard
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- Mana
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1718 W: 24 N: 5002]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(16380) - [2008-05-18 9:32]
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Hi Peter,
Outstanding shot of this beautiful Sun Parakeet with glorious colours and details on its plumage. Superb lighting and exposure and you have captured a fine pose here. Excellent DOF, POV and composition. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon
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- Nilson
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 349 W: 0 N: 294]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(2230) - [2008-05-18 12:02]
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Belissima foto nitides cores e composição ótima ficou muito boa com o fundo escuro parabéns.
Nilson
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- Juyona
(13325)
- [2008-05-18 12:35]
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Hola Peter,
colorida captura,
bello pov, y foco...
buen encuadre,
saludos
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- lousat
(10145)
- [2008-05-18 13:40]
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Hi Peter,the colours,the moment to take,the sharpenss and the details....all is perfect in this beautifull pic,just my best compliments and thanks for share ,Luciano
Hi Peter,
Excelent capture of this Sun Parakeet. Great pose and composition, sharp details and bright colours.
TFS
Pekka
Hi Peter
very nice capture of this lovely and colorful parrot. dark BG nicely contrasting with its colorsful plumage. Focus and composition also very nice. TFS, best wishes
Ahmet
Ha Peter,
Deze prachtige kleurrijke vogel steekt uitstekend af tegen een mooie achtergrond
compo, kleyr, achtergrond, en POV zijn perfect
TFS Thijs
Splendido ritratto, eccellenti POV e DOF, bellissima la composizione per la posa e per il taglio verticale, ottima nitidezza, magnifici i colori e BG. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio
Hi Peter, splendid bird with fantastic colors, wonderful details and excellent sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio
Again a splendid bird,
colours are realy impressive,
excellent work,
cheer,
friendly,
Pat
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- PaulH
(10874)
- [2008-05-19 6:39]
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Hi Peter,
excellent composition with beautiful colours, DOF is very good with welld defined details. I really like the neutral background you have created too, very well done.
Paul
Hallo Peter,
Duidelijk zin om te communiceren deze...:-)
Duidelijk waar de carnavalisten hun inspiratie halen ginder.
Goed gedaan
Bedankt
Annick
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- aido
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1097 W: 168 N: 1218]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(4046) - [2008-05-19 12:59]
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Hello Peter,
Wow, very bright colours, what a beautiful bird. Good detail and a good neutral background. I might have stopped the flash down but then I'm not a huge fan of flash so my opinion only.
Regards,
Adrian
Hi Peter,
Wonderful capture and cute bird. TFS. Cheers,
Bayram
Ps. I have just returned from a trip to SE Mediterranean Anatolia
Hola Peter.
Una preciosa presentación en diagonal.
Buenos colores y detalles.
Buen bg.
Saludos, JL.
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- EOSF1
(21470)
- [2008-05-21 3:38]
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Hello Peter, awesome portrait of this colorful bird, very impressive sharpness and exposure! Well done, thanks!
Mario
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- arfer
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(0) - [2008-05-28 21:06]
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Hello Peter
A beautiful capture of this brightly coloured bird.
The plumage is amazing.
Wonderful colour saturation.
The shot is well composed.
I really like the diagonal branch.
TFS
Rob
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- mlines
(2562)
- [2008-06-04 14:24]
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Hi Peter, A beautiful yellow parrot well composed. The brightness of the colour is what i find most attractive. In depth notes. Perhaps a frame thin and plain will be benefitial. TFS. Murray.
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- SelenE
(12286)
- [2008-06-08 11:33]
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Hi Peter,
A very nice shot of this beautiful bird. Colors of the plumage and contrast is very good. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen
great colours and great contrast with backround's colour! nice composition. i like the bird's pose.
tfs
Ilias
Hallo Peter
What a vibrant and admirable detailed photo. There is just such a great deal to appreciate when you look at this bird. The colours are amazing and it looks as if this bird is dressed up for summer. The bright colours of the feathers gives the feeling of warmth and joy. I like the way the bird's head is tilted sideways as if it is listning at something. Good composition and clarity. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Anna
sharpenss and the details excellint majic bg.
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1360 W: 56 N: 964]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-n.gif)
(8)![Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 45 W: 0 N: 81]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-g.gif)
(1157)