How to Know If Your Conures Are Breeding

Conures are a group of small and medium-sized parrots, originating in Central and South America. Conures have a reputation for being playful and intelligent, and for these reasons they are popular as pets. Most types of conures like to have a nest box in their cage year-round. When it is not used for breeding, they will use it for sleeping at night. Most conures kept as pets come from the Aratinga or Pyrrhura genera.

Things You'll Need

  • 4-foot-long flight cage
  • Conure nesting box
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Instructions

    • 1

      Watch to see if they are spending a lot of time in their nest box. If you have brown-throated, half-moon or Aztec conures, this may be a good indication that they are ready to breed. In the wild, these birds do not have the habit of sleeping in their nest year-round like other conures. If the pair is comfortable enough to be spending time regularly in the nest box, it is likely they may be breeding. Green and Pyrrhura conures, however, will spend time in the nest box when they are not breeding as well.

    • 2

      Pay attention to the season. Pyrrhura conures typically breed between December and May. Aratinga conures prefer to breed during the warm summer months.

    • 3

      Look at the condition of the nest. Dusky, jenday, sun and gold-capped conures have very particular habits about cleaning their nests before breeding. If you see one of these birds trying to empty their nest box by pushing out all of the material inside, they may be preparing for breeding.

    • 4

      See how much time the female is spending in the nest. Conures will brood over their eggs for around 23 to 28 days, so if the female has been sitting inside the nest for around three weeks, she may have already laid a clutch of eggs.