Fun Sun Parakeet Facts For Kids

The Sun Parakeet, Aratinga solstitialis, is a part of the Psittacidae family which is now one of the most endangered bird species in the world. Sun Parakeets are also known by another name, Sun conure, in the aviculture.

This medium-sized, vivid-colored bird species is native to northeastern South America.

Like the species Jenday conure, the Sun Parakeet also display a lot of colors in their body. In fact, the juveniles of the sun conures are regarded as the most colorful parrot in the family.

Sun conures have been the favorite pet birds for decades now and the demand for the bird still grows. They are bold in both color and personality.

Sun parakeets have a playful and adventurous nature because of which people are so fond of them.

Although the voice of sun parakeets is loud, they are most known for their vocalizing. The main characteristics of a sun conure (Sun Parakeets) are that they are one of the most sociable birds out there and there are not many better pets living in the world.

The exceptional quality of the sun conures as a companion, its extraordinary disposition, and the beautiful plumage makes the bird one of the most popular conures in the world.

The best thing about the Sun conure is their ability to learn and adapt to any language. Although not all sun conures speak fluently, there have been cases when these birds have learned to talk quite successfully.

The sun conures love to mimic different sounds they hear all the time, like doorbells, whistles, and telephones. But these features vary as some sun conures prefer not to mimic sounds and are only restricted to their own communication between them and their companion.

In the wild too, they have a very loud high-pitched voice with a 'kreek-kreek' sound.

With respect to their small size, their voice is very loud and although they are able to mimic humans, they cannot do it as well as some of the other species of bigger parrots. They need someone with them all the time, because of which the sun conures seek a lot of attention from their owners.

If you want to discover more beautiful birds, read out facts about the green parakeet and Carolina parakeet.

Sun Parakeet Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a sun parakeet?

Sun conures or Sun parakeet, Aratinga solstitialis, is a species of bird.

What class of animal does a sun parakeet belong to?

The Sun conure falls under the class of Aves of birds.

How many sun parakeets are there in the world?

The number of Sun conures in the world has been decreasing each year due to some malpractices. There is no census of the population of this bird.

Where does a sun parakeet live?

This species of parrot is found mostly in open forests, dry woodlands, and scrublands. They are also found in flooded scrub forests along the banks of the Amazon river. The Sun conure's habitat range from northeastern Brazil and Guyana.

They are also found in Southeast Venezuela, Northeast Amazon, and Surinam. They are found abundantly in Brazil and Guyana in the continent of South America. Also, they are seen in French Guiana.

What is a sun parakeet's habitat?

The sun conure is found in tropical habitats, in the dry and open savannah woodland. They are also usually found in scrublands and forested valleys. The Sun conure prefers to live at an altitude of 1200 m and inhabit palm groves. They do not like human activities like cattle grazing which destroys the home of the parrot.

Who do sun parakeets live with?

There is not much information about the natural habitat of the sun conure as they are usually domesticated and kept as bird pets. They are a friendly and caring breed of birds and love human companionship. In captivity, inside the cage, they are often found pairing with their fellow conures and mating. They are highly social birds.

In the wild, the status of the sun conure as social birds remains intact as they always live in pairs or flocks which range from 7-15 birds at a time. In times of feeding too, they flock together.

Groups of five birds are more common and large flocks of 20-30 birds might be found where trees and bushes are more. This is mostly seen in the forests of Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana with the nest in big hollow trees.

The birds never leave their flock. They are said to fly many miles in a day, so daily exercise in the cage is necessary for the birds.

How long does a sun parakeet live?

An adult Sun conure with proper care in captivity can live up to 30 years. The wild Sun conure age is not known yet. The bird in the cage needs to be taken care of with full determination to get the full life span of 30 years available.

How do they reproduce?

The females of the medium-sized bird, Sun conure, are said to nest in holes or cavities in palm trees in their native habitat. The breeding and nesting behavior of these parrots in the wild is unknown.

There is no courtship behavior noticed in these parrots. The parrots do not even show any signs of breeding. But, the paired birds are seen feeding each other participate in mutual grooming before the breeding season.

Mating lasts for about three to four minutes in a pair. If kept as pets, both the males and females become very aggressive towards their owners if kept most of the time inside the cage.

When the females are about to lay the eggs, swelling of the abdomen can be noticed. The average litter size is three to five eggs in a breeding season and this happens at least twice a year. The adult birds need a clean nest or area to breed until the eggs are laid.

The eggs are laid one at a time and in two to three day intervals. Both the sexes of the bird incubates the egg for 23-25 days.

Feeding is done between this period by both the adults. After the eggs hatch, the young take around seven to eight weeks to fly and in 9-10 weeks, they become independent. The young bird fends for food themselves.

In some rare cases, the sun conure has been seen destroying their own eggs and eating them when in need of protein or calcium-rich diet. The young bird is born malnourished the natural diet of the adult bird is only seeds. The young become sexually mature at an age of around 24 months of age.

In the wild, a nest is found in the month of February. The bird usually mates around spring due to the heat and the intensity of light. As a pet, these birds do not have any particular breeding season.

What is their conservation status?

The sun conure is stated as an Endangered species and the population of the bird is decreasing on a daily basis. The loss of habitat is one cause for it.

There are also instances of trapping for plumage. The most threatening cause for their decrease is the pet trade, where the wild bird is caught for illegal trading. Around 800,000 birds are caught each year for the pet trade.

Sun Parakeet Fun Facts

What do sun parakeets look like?

The Sun conure is a well-known cage bird due to its ability to talk and the beautiful range of coloration on its body. The adult male Sun conure is usually very bright in color and has mixed coloration of red, yellow, and orange.

The wings have bright green and blue feathers.

The tail is made of olive-green feathers. The mantle, back, and upper wings of the Sun conure are also bright yellow in color.

The bird has a yellow-orange glow, like golden coloration, and the colors become more vivid with age. Both the sexes are almost similar in terms of physical description, but the male of the sun conure has a flatter forehead and square head, and the females have a smaller and rounder head and a shorter tail than the males.

The color of the beak is black in color and the eyes are dark brown in color.

The eyes also have a whitish eye-ring, similar to the Macaw species and deemed as a beautification feature for any parrots. The beak of the bird is curved and also has a sharpness to it and helps the birds carry their food, seeds, nuts, and twigs for their nests easily.

The juveniles of the bird are duller in color with green feathers on the head, throat, and body. They also have a lighter beak and the orange-red color in their body is poorly defined.

They do not get full coloration on their wings and body until 18 months of age. Sometimes it even takes two years to get the proper adult feather and other features.

How cute are they?

The Sun conure is considered to be very cute and pretty. They are a centerpiece in any cage.

How do they communicate?

They have a very loud and high-pitched voice sounding like 'kreek-kreek'. But the Sun conures are easily trainable and learn to speak very easily. Their temperament is solid and the friendly nature helps them to get trained easily.

How big is a sun parakeet?

The average length of a Sun conure is 12 in (30.4 cm).

How fast can a sun parakeet fly?

The sun conure is a very swift flyer and has a pretty good speed. The exact speed of the bird remains undefined.

How much does a sun parakeet weigh?

The weight of the bird ranges from 0.21-0.26 lb (100-120 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the species are not given different names.

What would you call a baby sun parakeet?

The young sun conures are just called juveniles.

What do they eat?

They usually feed on ripe and half-ripe seeds of various fruits and berries. They also eat nuts, fruit pits,  and insects. The birds also feed on flowers found in trees and bushes.

Are they dangerous?

The Sun conure is not considered dangerous, except for their breeding season when they become aggressive.

Would they make a good pet?

The bird is used all over the world as a pet. They can be considered good pets because of their social nature and determination to learn. They can even speak!

Did you know...

They love their owners and can recognize them anywhere. They even call them by their names.

How smart are sun conures?

The sun parakeet can be considered smart because of its proficiency in learning. One hour a day can make them language proficient in less than a few days.

Should I let my parakeet out of its cage?

In the first week of captivity, they should be kept in the cage as moving is stressful for them. Also taking them out too soon can make them nervous and they can hurt themselves flying into things.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including a falcon or American kestrel.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our parakeet coloring pages.