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Black-hooded Parakeet Species Description

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Other Names
Nanday Conure, Black-hooded Conure

Classification
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Scientific Name
Nandayus Nenday

Species Description

Nanday conures have a distinctive black head, and wings and tails tipped with dark blue feathers. They have a light-blue scarf and bright orange feathers on their legs and around their vents. The maturity of a Nanday can be told by the edges of its black hood: if the hood has a ragged edge of brown, then the bird is over a year old. The Nanday will reach a mature size of eleven to twelve inches and weigh a little over five ounces and will live for about 25 years.

Habitat

Savannahs, woods, palm country, rice fields. May be in large flocks. Nests in tree hollows.

Distribution

The bird is native to South America from southeast Bolivia to southwest Brazil, central Paraguay and northern Argentina, from the region known as the pantanal. Caged birds have been released in some areas and the birds have established self sustaining populations in the Los Angeles, California, and several areas of Florida (including St. Petersburg, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County).

Captivity
Summary

Captivity

The Nanday Conure is known to be noisy in the early mornings and afternoon, as well as any time they are startled; however, Nandays are very adaptable and outgoing, and get used to their owners and keepers quickly. They will bond with one person or territory, and can be quite destructive if made unhappy due to inadequate socialization and stimulation. It should be noted that Conures like the Nanday often sleep on their backs. This could be alarming for a beginner who is not expecting it! In general, the Nanday Conure is easy to keep and makes an excellent pet for both the experienced hobbyist and the beginner.

They all have distinct personalities and appreciate a roomy cage and toys. They also like to be outside of their cage at least two hours a day. They eat a pellet based diet with fruit and vegetables daily. This can be accomplished by giving them a raisin, apple slice, or other fruit or vegetable daily. These birds are extremely intelligent and skilled escape artists. Some of them will talk, others will not, depending on their personality. They are also loud natured birds not suited for apartments.

Summary

Conures are either large parakeets or small parrots that are found in the western hemisphere. They are analogous in size and way of life to the Old World's Rose-ringed Parakeets or the Australian parakeets. All living conure species are found in Central and South America; the extinct Conuropsis carolinensis or Carolina Parakeet was an exception. Conures are often called the clowns of the parrot world due to their constant attention seeking behavior including hanging upside-down and swaying back and forth or "dancing."

Despite being large for parakeets, conures are lightly built with long tails and small (but strong) beaks. Conure beaks always have a small cere and are usually horn-colored or black. Most conure species live in flocks of 20 or more birds. Conures often eat grain, which causes them to be treated as agricultural pests in some places.

Conures are as diverse a group as African Parrots, so trying to characterize them all is difficult and inaccurate. The category conure is loosely-defined because they do not currently constitute a natural, scientific grouping. The term conure is now used mostly in aviculture. Scientists tend to refer to these birds as "parrots" or "parakeets."

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