Common Name:Sun Conure
Scientific Name: Aratinga Solstitialis
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order:Psittaciformes
Family:Psittacidae
The sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis), also known in aviculture as the sun conure, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with predominantly golden-yellow plumage and orange-flushed underparts and face. Sun parakeets are very social birds, typically living in flocks. The Sun parakeet is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with predominantly golden-yellow plumage and orange-flushed underparts and face. Juvenile Sun parakeets display a predominantly green plumage and resemble similar-aged sulfur-breasted parakeets. The distinctive yellow, orange, and reddish coloration on the back, abdomen, and head is attained with maturity.
Sun parakeets live in a relatively small region of northeastern South America: the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. They also occur as vagrants to coastal French Guiana.
These birds are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. They occur within dry savanna woodlands and coastal forests, but, at the edge of humid forests growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and cross more open savannah habitats only when traveling between patches of forest. Sun parakeets have been seen in shrublands along the Amazon riverbank, as well as forested valleys and coastal, seasonally flooded forests. They usually inhabit fruit trees and palm groves.
Sun parakeets are monogamous breeders. The typical clutch size is 3 or 4 white eggs, and they may be laid in two- to three-day intervals. Females are responsible for the entire incubation period from 23 to 27 days, and only leave the nest for short feeding periods. Males aggressively protect the nest from potential predators. Chicks are born blind, naked, and completely vulnerable. After only 10 days, they begin to open their eyes and their feather quills break through. Both parents participate in feeding the chicks. The young depend on their parents for 7 to 8 weeks after hatching and only become independent after 9 to 12 weeks. Young parakeets become reproductively mature and start to breed at around 2 years of age.
Sun parakeets are herbivores (frugivores, granivores) and mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, and nuts. They feed on both ripe and half-ripe seeds of both fruits and berries. They also consume insects and at times, they forage from agricultural crops and may be considered pests.
Endangered