Parrot Feather Mailing List

Nanday Conure

Scientific Name: Nandayus nenday
Origin: South America (Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay)
Relative Size: Small - 140-160 grams
Average Lifespan: 20-30 years

The Nanday Conure is a popular conure that is kept in captivity, though not as popular as Green-cheeked or Sun Conures, they still are highly sought.

Origin & Feral Nandays: These birds are native to Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.  They thrive in cultivated areas and many have been seen in feral flocks located inside the United States.  It is not uncommon to see them intermixed with Quaker Parakeets or Indian Ringnecks while they are in feral groups.  Most feral Nanday Conures are fed by bird enthusiasts or they find fruits from neighborhood trees.  When in flocks, their numbers are usually more than 10 birds.  While flying or roosting they emit loud contact calls.  Their noisy calls are what usually divulges their presence. Their green coloring can make it difficult to be seen in trees or large shrubs.

Appearance: This bird is small compared to larger parrots; however, they are medium sized for conures.  They have long slender bodies and a rounded head. This gives them the impression of being sleek and stocky.  A black mask covers their face and extends below their beak, often covering the throat. Their bodies are green and a blue bib masks their crops.  The beak is black and is proportional to their head.  The brightest part of the bird is its thighs.  They have orange-red patches that are vibrant.  Their tail is also brightly colored too. It is green and the tips are blue.

Pet Aspect:  Nanday Conures make wonderful pets.  They are very curious and will entertain their owners with their antics.  Most Nanday Conures are very outgoing and will go to strangers if they were properly socialized and tamed.  

They enjoy being petted and will gladly accept an invitation to be stroked.  This is done by lowering their head and ruffling up their feathers.  They can spend lots of time on their owner’s shoulders, but don’t expect them to keep still.  They usually climb about their owner’s shirt investigating their surroundings.  When calm or tired, your conure will enjoy snuggling against your neck (caution should be used to avoid facial bites).

Tricks: When it comes to tricks, Nanday Conures can easily perform them.  These conures seem to be the preference of trainers when it comes to bird shows. They are large enough for the audience to view, yet colorful enough to keep everyone interested. 

The tricks these parrots can perform are endless.  In shows, most are used for retrieving dollar bills from audience members then returning them.  More simple tricks such as waving, turning around, or dancing can easily be picked up too.  Be sure to use positive reinforcement if you want desired behaviors to stick.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly they mold to positive reinforcement.

Talking: Though conures are not known for their talking ability, Nanaday Conures can learn to talk.  Some are able to talk, but those that do talk, will have raspy voices. Their owners need to spend time interacting and repeating phrases with them until the conure starts talking.  Trying different tones with your voice will excite the conure and hopefully encourage talking. If the conure does not pick up your words, try moving on to a new word.  Keep things exciting and short.   A handfed conure is more likely pick up speech than an untamed one.  

Diet:  The diet of your conure needs to be varied.  It should not be fed only seeds or only pellets.  It needs to have a combination of both. The combination of seeds and pellets are good sources of nutrition, but fruits and vegetables need to be included too. These conures particularly enjoy fruits such as grapes or cubed apples.   Adding a daily dose of vegetables is important.  Cutting broccoli into chunks or slicing tomatoes make tasty snacks.  Be sure to include leafy greens such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, or dandelion leaves.  They are very nutritious and important.