Sun Conure ( Aratinga solstitialis )

The Sun Conure's yellow and fiery shades of orange/red make it a bird of striking beauty. The wings are yellow with the secondary flight feathers partly green and the primaries a dark blue. The beak is black and they have a whitish eye ring. An adult weighs around 100-120 grams and is 30cm in length. An interesting story comes to mind regarding the origins of the name Sun Conure. Back in the early days, an exploration ship crashed into a reef off South America. The captain stood on the bow as the ship was about to go under and said, "What's happened to my ship?". Then, a bright yellow and orange bird landed on his shoulder and replied, "Sunk on ya!" . Ok, I made that up...they're actually named Sun Conures because wild flocks in full flight resemble the glow of the sun...True!

Sun Conures As Pets

We believe the Sun Conure has one of the most charming and captivating personalities of all. The hand-reared Sun Conure is gentle and friendly. They are affectionate towards their keeper and are amusing to watch at play. On the downside, the aviary bred / parent reared Sun Conure can belt out some serious sound when alarmed. When hand-reared and content in their environment, they can be as quite and calm as any other member of the Conure family. A Sun Conure makes a loyal and beautiful pet.

Housing

Sun Conures love to fly. Our breeding pairs here at Rosedale are housed in suspended aviaries measuring 1200H x 1200W x 2000L(mm). We incorporate a secure walkway at the rear with access to feed and water bowls as well as nestboxes. The rear of the aviary, including the walkway, is constructed of  steel frame and colourbond. The roof sheeting covers approximately half of the cage. This allows shelter during inclement weather but access to rain showers and sunshine. Conures can become aggressive during breeding so we use double wire between cages to avoid missing toes ! We use a privacy screen between the cages under the sheltered end, as we find this helps with breeding. Natural wood toys are provided for the Suns to destroy, helping to alleviate boredom.

For information about feeding, please see our headings under "Diet". We also have information under "General" regarding: Cage Needs, Household Hazards, Parasites, etc.

 
Conures must be provided with a
suitable roost, like this bird tent.