Jenday Conure

Looks how to spot one

Feathered; medium conure with a long pointed tail

A vivid conure with a yellow head and neck, orange cheeks and a reddish-orange chest and belly, set against green wings and tail. The tail tips have a bluish tinge, the beak is black and there is a pale ring of bare skin around each dark eye. Young birds are mostly green with patchy yellow on the head and gain full colour by about two years of age.13

Personality what they are like

Jenday conures are known as warm, trusting and playful family birds that enjoy close contact and will often snuggle up against their person's neck. They are curious and bright, so they learn behaviours and tricks well, and some mimic sounds and a few words. Like most Aratinga conures they are vocal, with a loud, ringing call, so they suit lively households.312

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Needs several hours of out-of-cage time each day with a play stand or gym, plus chew toys, swings, ladders and foraging toys to keep it busy.32

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Offer frequent baths and a steady supply of wooden toys, branches and other bird-safe chewables.24

Home where they are happiest

A cage of at least 91 x 61 x 61 cm (36 x 24 x 24 in) as a minimum, larger if possible. For aviary keeping the World Parrot Trust suggests a flight at least 2-3 m long.32

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In the wild it feeds on fruit such as mango and cashew apple, palm nuts and seeds, including crops like rice and maize. Pet birds do well on pellets plus daily fresh fruit and vegetables, with some seeds, spray millet and cooked beans or corn.123

Company who they like around

A flock bird that usually travels in groups of about a dozen and needs a lot of daily attention in the home. It can share space with a compatible conure companion.23

The story where it all began

The naturalist Georg Marcgrave recorded the species during a Dutch expedition to Brazil in 1638, and several later authors described it from his account. Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it a formal scientific name in 1788, and its name jandaya comes from an indigenous South American word for the bird.12

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Least Concern; the World Parrot Trust lists the population trend as increasing.2

CITES

Appendix II.1

Taxonomy

Monotypic (no subspecies). Part of the sun conure group of Aratinga; some authors have treated it as a subspecies of a related conure.1