Information About Breeding Conure Parrots

There are many varieties of conure parrots, ranging in size from small to large, and they carrying a host of different colors including green, yellow, red, peach and brown. Both wild-caught and captive-bred birds are available for purchase in the pet trade. Wild-caught conures can be more difficult to breed in captivity because they start out stressed and are less likely to settle down. Captive-bred birds will breed much sooner and more easily.

  1. Breeding Age

    • Most types of conure reach maturity at around 1 year old and are ready to begin breeding at that time. Green, brown-throated, Aztec, and halfmoon birds may take from three to five years before they begin breeding.

    Nesting

    • Nestboxes can be made of either wood or metal. Some conures chew a lot and can damage a wooden nestbox, so metal may be a better option for them. Many types of conures will not only lay eggs within their nestboxes, but will also sleep, play and hide within them, so they should have access all year long. A box that is 12 inches square by 18 inches deep works for most conures. It should have several inches of peat moss or wood shavings to fill in the bottom, though cork works better for brown-throated, Aztec and halfmoon conures because they will want to excavate a nest.

    Clutches

    • Most types of conures will lay multiple clutches each year, containing three to eight eggs each. While gold-capped, jenday, sun and dusky conures may clutch up to four times in one year, green (aratinga) conures usually only clutch once unless the first set of eggs are immediately removed from the nestbox. Females of all types generally brood on their eggs for 23 to 28 days before they hatch.

    Babies

    • Hatchlings should stay in the nesting box for at least the first three weeks of their lives, as they are fed from the mother bird and receive important nutritional supplements from her crop secretions. Most young conures fledge at around 5 weeks old, and often are weaned and leave the nest because the father bird begins acting aggressive toward them.