[SweetPea]

Genus Aratinga This is by far one of the most popular genus of conures. There is some disagreement regarding the actual number of species, but the number seems to be between 15 and 21. The scientific name Aratinga derives from the fact that these birds are similar to macaws (genus Ara): "tinga" is a diminutive, so that "aratinga" means "little macaw."
Some of the birds that fall under this genus include the Sharp-tailed Conure, the Blue-crowned Conure, the Mexican Green Conure, the Red-throated Conure, the Brown-throated Conure, the Sun Conure, the Jenday Conure, The Finsch's Conure, the Mitred Conure, the Dusky Conure and the Queen of Bavaria Conure.

Genus Nandayus nenday This species is a very close relative to the Aratinga. In fact, it is listed as Aratinga or Nandayus nenday. The Nanday Conure is native to southeastern Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Paraguay. The birds live in large flocks, often together with Monk Parakeets. Nanday conures are considered to be sociable birds, even with other species. Their coloring consists of a blue-black head, cheeks and throats.

Genus Brotogeris These green colored parakeets have narrow tails and long, pointed wings that cover the tail. Some species are imported regularly every year and make ideal aviary birds. Some of the species that fall under this genus are the Tirica Parakeet, the Canary-winged Parakeet, the Orange-chinned Parakeet, the golden-winged Parakeet and the Grey Cheeked Parakeet. A great site featuring these birds can be found at The Grey-Cheeked Parakeet Page.

Genus Enicognathus This genus includes two currently quite popular species, the Slender-billed Conure and Austral Conure. Both come from southern South America. The Austral conure is mainly green, with most of the feathers darkly edged. The forehead and eye stripe are red. These birds are native to southern Argentina and Chile. The slender- billed conure is green, with an olive-colored belly. The flight feathers are bluish. They can be found in central Chili in noisy groups of 50-300 birds. In spring they move to the mountains.

Genus Cyanoliseus The Patagonian conure and its three subspecies belong to the genus Cyanoliseus. The Lesser Patagonian conure's upper side is olive-brown with an olive green sheen. This bird ranges from southern to central Argentina, occasionally into Uruguay. These birds have become increasing popular in aviculture, although their voices are loud and piercing. The Greater Patagonian is somewhat larger than the Patagonian conure and has a more robust beak. These birds are very hardy and need a daily supply of fruit tree and willow twigs, as well as thick branches, to satisfy their desire to chew.

Genus Pyrrhura Many members of this interesting genus are not often seen on the market, which is a shame because they are very beautiful birds and it is said they are not nearly as noisy as the Aratinga species. They are also said to be minimally destructive if regularly supplied with fresh twigs to occupy their attention. This genus includes the Green-Cheeked Conure, Blue-Throated Conure, the Painted Conure, the White-Eared Conure, the Crimson-bellied Conure, the Black-Capped Conure and the Maroon-bellied Conure.