Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Psittaciformes
Superfamily
Psittacoidea
Family
Psittacidae
Subfamily
Arinae
Tribe
Arini
Genus
Enicognathus
Species
E. ferrugineus
Binomial name
Enicognathus ferrugineus
About:
The Austral Conure is not as
well known as many other conures - in fact, its sub-species, the Chilean
Conure, is better known and easier to find. The Austral Conure was only
recently introduced into aviculture. In fact, the first recorded captive
breeding occurred in the early 1970s at the East Berlin Zoo. Even though it is
a rare find at this point in time, as more and more are being bred in
captivity, this species should become more readily available in the future.
Distribution / Range:
The Austral Conures are
endemic to Chile, southern Argentina, and the islands in the Strait of
Magellan. They occur mostly in wooded country, but can also be found in
shrubland and farmland.
In their natural habitat,
these conures nest in tree cavities - often deserted woodpeckers nests or in
the top of dead palms. The Austral Conure female lays quite a large clutch
of four to eight eggs which are incubated for 21 to 27 days. The Chilean Conure
usually produces smaller clutches consisting of two to six eggs. The young
leave the nest at six to eight weeks.
Austral Conures are social
and peaceful conures that can usually be seen in flocks of 10 to 15
individuals, but large flocks of over one hundred (or more) occur. In the
extreme south, they usually stay near sea level, but migrates up to 2000m at
the northern end of its range. They move down into the foothills during bad
weather; in fact weather conditions and availability of food are the main
reasons for flock movements.
These conures spend much of
the day in trees and shrubs foraging for food. At those times they are quite
inconspicuous, landing at the top of the trees and scrambling down through the
branches. These acrobatic conures can be seen feeding hanging upside down
from branches. They are usually well hidden amongst the foliage and difficult
to see, but the raucous metallic screeches they make whilst in flight can be
heard for some distance.
Subspecies:
·
Austral Conure or
Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus ferrugineus)
o
Averages 13 3/4
" (37 cm) in length and weighs around 4.9 ounces (139 g).
·
Chilean Conure (Enicognathus
ferrugineus minor)
o
The Chilean
Conure is better known and a more readily available conure than the nominate
species - the Austral Conure.
o
Range: The
Chilean Conure is also from southwestern Argentina and Chili, but is generally
found farther north.
o
Physical
Differences: The Chilean Conure is slightly smaller than the Austral,
averaging 13 1/3" (34 cm) in length. The plumage is somewhat darker and it
also has a darker head band. The belly patch often times disappears in the
darker birds.
o
Breeding: The
Chilean Conure also lays smaller clutches than the Austral Conure (2 to 6
eggs).
Description:
This fairly large conure
averages 33 - 37cm or 13 - 13.75 inches in length - so they are slightly larger
than Quaker Parakeet). Australs weigh around 4.9
oz (139 g).
The plumage of the Austral
Conure is mostly a dull green, lightly barred due to the dusky tips. The crown is
tinged with blue and here the tips of their feathers are greyish black.
Theirforehead, lores (the region between the eye
and bill on the side of a bird's head) and upper tail are reddish brown / a
dull red and they have a brownish red patch in the center of their
abdomen. The northern part of the range displays less red.
Their primaries (longest wing
feathers) and primary coverts are green tinged with blue. The tail is a
brownish red tipped with green.
They have a grey beak and the
irides (= plural of iris) are reddish brown.
Immature birds are similar to
adults, only the reddish brown markings on their forehead and
abdomen are duller.
Diet / Feeding:
·
Natural Diet: Their
natural diet consists of seeds, nuts, small fruit (i.e. berries), leaf buds,
acorns and bulbous roots. Even though this conure will feed on various
seeds, including grass and bamboo seeds, their favored food appears to be seeds
of the Araucaria Araucana (also known as the Monkey Puzzle Tree). Swarms of
these conures can be found in Araucaria forests when the seeds are ripe. In
farmland areas, these conures cause considerable damage to crops whilst feeding
on the ripened grain.
·
Captive Diet: A
variety of seeds, fruits and vegetables should be provided, in addition to a
good quality dry food mix. The general feeding ratio is f 25% seed, 10%
pelleted (good quality pellets without harmful chemicals), 65% fresh vegetables
and fruits and wheat bread. During the breeding season, additional buckwheat,
safflowers and sunflower seeds should be provided.
Aviculture / Captive Birds:
The Austral Conure makes
an excellent choice for an aviary as they are not overly noisy and become quite
confiding with their caretakers. They do have to be carefully acclimatized and
shelter should be provided as they sensitive to drafts and drops in
temperature.
The average clutch consists
of 4 to 8 eggs - although in one rare instance 10 fertile eggs were reported.
The average incubation period is 26 days. The young wean at 12 to 14 weeks.
Their expected life span is
30+ years if the conditions are optimal -- meaning provided their life isn't
cut short by accidents or due to malnutrition, as many do. These conures reach
maturity when they are about 2 years old.
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: Astral
Conures can become nippy, although far less so than is the case with other
conures. 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: As is the case with many conure species, the
Austral Conure can be noisy - but they tend to be less so than most of the
other conure species. Their call can be high-pitched and somewhat annoying. Even
though their natural voicing can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated,
there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your conure.
