Deville's Parakeets / Conures or Prince Lucian's Conures
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The Deville's Conure or Parakeet (Pyrrhura lucianii) - also known as the Prince Lucian's Conure - has typically been considered a subspecies of the Painted Conure (Pyrrhura picta). Joseph (2002) recommended that the Deville's Conure should be recognized as a monotypic species (= one single species). The American Ornithologists' Union voted to recognize Deville's Conure (P. lucianii) as a species.
Distribution / Range
The Deville's Conure is endemic to North-western Brazil and neighboring areas in South-eastern Ecuador and northeast Peru along upper Amazon River as well as Rio Purus and upper Rio Madeira and its tributaries south to La Paz, Bolivia, and southeast Peru. Their range overlaps with that of the Rose-fronted or Roseifrons Conure (Pyrrhura roseifrons) in southeast Peru. It is assumed that this species is fairly common within its range, however, this cannot be confirmed as this remote region is rarely visited by researchers.
They are social parrots that are typically seen in pairs during the breeding season or groups of 5 to 12 birds when they are not in breeding mode. Occasionally larger flocks can be seen at favored feeding sites or clay banks. Within their range, they can frequently be seen with Golden-winged Parakeets (Brotogeris chrysopterus) and Pearly Conure (Pyrrhura perlata).
They move around a lot and prefer dense and tall trees. Their loud contact calls makes them conspicuous, otherwise they are difficult to detect in the foliage as they are well camouflaged by their plumage. Pairs typically remain close to each other.
They frequently visit local ponds and rivers to drink and bathe, as well as to feed on mineral-rich soil of clay-banks and barreiros. They are cautious, but not particularly shy. They usually return to their roosting areas between 5.30 and 5.50 p.m in the late afternoon.
Calls / Vocalizations
Their calls during flight sound like a brief eek. Their contact call loud peeah and when perching harsh kleek-kleek can be heard.
Description
They average 22 cm or 8.5 inches in length (including their long tails) and the wings are 113 - 130 mm or 4.5 - 5 inches long.
The plumage is mainly green, except for a dark red belly, rump and tail-tip (tail all dark red from below), a faint blue marking to the nape (lower back of the neck); pale grey scaling to the chest, and a whitish or dull buff patch on the auriculars and bluish remiges (flight feathers - typically only visible in flight). The cheeks and crown are dark dusky-maroon (almost blackish). The lower breast is green, each feather V-shaped and narrowly edged whitish to dull yellow. They have bare, whitish periophthalmic (eye) rings. The legs are dark greyish.
Similar species id: Looks similar to the Painted Conure (Pyrrhura picta), but it lacks any bright red or blue to the head.
Personality
These beautiful little parrots are very rare, but their pet potential is excellent if they have been hand-raised and are well-socialized. Newly imported birds are generally shy and nervous and often remain reserved.
This is an inquisitive and active parakeet that enjoys flying and requires plenty of exercise and a spacious cage. It is generally not too noisy unless excited (as is generally the case with Pyrrhura conures).
Once acclimatized, these parrots are fairly hardy. They enjoy bathing and should be provided with a shallow water dish daily and also love to chew on fresh branches.
This conure is inclined to feather plucking if its physical or emotional needs are not met.
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:
Diet / Feeding
Their natural diet consists of various fruits (including berries), flowers, seeds, vegetable matter as well as insects and their larvae. They also feed on mineral-rich soil of clay-banks and barreiros in rain forest. Occasionally they are feeding on algae on surface of ponds.
Captive diet: Provide plenty of fruits, vegetables and greenfood; as well as a regular supply of branches with flowers and buds. A quality dry food/ seed mix that includes safflower, oats, some sunflower, hemp, buckwheat, millet, canary grass seed and rowanberries. Sprouted seeds and millet spray should also be fed. Vitamins and mineral supplements, as necessary.
Breeding / Reproduction
The breeding season in Panama and Colombia occurs from March to June, in Surinam from February to April and from July to December in Brazil and Bolivia. They typically nest in hollow tree branches / cavities - often at considerable height.
Captive breeding is occasionally achieved, but not always easily. Some pairs show little to no interest in breeding; however, others breed readily. It's best to isolate pairs during the breeding season to minimize the risk of interrupting any breeding activities or to prevent aggression towards other aviary occupants. Breeding usually commences in spring. The average clutch consists of 3 to 5 eggs measuring 25.5 x 19.1 mm (1.00 x 0.75 ins), which are incubated for about 23 days. The young fledge 50 days after hatching, but continue to be fed by their parents for some time afterwards. Up to two breedings per year are possible.
Colony system in a large aviary is possible with same species or other Pyrrhura Conures. They enjoy bathing and chewing on fresh branches.
These active conures need a roomy flight with the following minimum dimensions: 3 x 1 x 2 m (9 x 3 x 6 ft) and an adjoining shelter: 1 x 1 x 2 m (3 x 3 x 6 ft) . They should be protected from temperatures below 5°C (41°F). A roosting box (20 x 20 x 70 cm or 8 x 8 x 28 ins) or preferably tree stump or at least 1.5 sq. meters (16 sq. ft) per pair should be available all year around.
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). 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.
- 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: Scientific: Pyrrhura ... English: Red-tailed Conures ... Dutch: Roodstaartparkieten ... German: Rotschwanzsittiche ... French: Perruche à queue rouge
Species: Scientific: Pyrrhura lucianii formerly Pyrrhura picta lucianii ... English: Prince Lucian's Conure ... Dutch: Prins Lucians Parkiet ... German: Prinz Luzians Rotschwanzsittich ... French: Perruche peinte Deville ... CITES II Endangered
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