Green-cheeked conure is one of the favorite pet birds among novices due to its striking coloration and comical antics. But is it the right addition to your flock?
In this detailed guide about fancy green cheek conure, we’ll share everything you need to know about these quirky birds.
In particular, you’ll discover:
- How green-cheeked conures deal with their humans and other birds
- Where to find these pet birds and how much do they cost
- And care tips for this kind of conure parrot to help them thrive and reach their full potential
So, let’s get right into it to gain some insights about these birds.
Green-Cheeked Conure Species Overview |
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Scientific name: | Pyrrhura molinae |
Green cheek conure size: | 10 inches from head to tail |
Weight: | 2.1 to 2.8 ounces |
Lifespan: | 25 to 30 years or more |
Talking Abilities: | Can pick up some words |
Introducing the Green-Cheeked Conure
Green-cheeked Conures are small parrots from the genus Pyrrhura and one of the long-tailed groups of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae.
These birds are also known as “green-cheeked parakeet”. They exhibit a bright green plumage on their backs, on top of their wings, and red on their tails and chest.
Their distinguishing features are the whitish ring around their neck, black plumage on their head, and olive green surrounding the red patches on the chest and cheeks.
Most display black beaks, feet, and white rings around their eyes.
But several mutations have been produced by purposely breeding conure birds in captivity. Discover how each modification varies and their personality differences.
Types of Green-Cheeked Conure Mutations
The most common green cheek conure bird mutations are the following:
Normal Green Cheek Conure
$175 to $200
The normal conures have grey chest feathers, bright green wings, and red feathers on the tail.
These classics are the cheapest, but that doesn’t mean they’re less attractive.
They love having fun, but they’re affectionate clowns who enjoy cuddling in your sleeves or pockets.
These green cheek conures cost $175 to $200, but others can be as high as $550.
Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure
$200 to $850
This mutation shares several features with the normal green cheek except on the chest.
Instead of having grey feathers, they feature bright yellow and red feathers on the chest and pink or red feet.
Like the previous bird, they’re playful and like snuggling up to their humans.
However, they’re more independent.
Cinnamon Green Cheek Conure
$175 to $375
These conures also boast yellow and red chest feathers, red tails, and light pink feet.
But their wings are lighter green, and their flight feathers are lighter blue than the yellow-sided and normal green conures.
Furthermore, they feature a tan or brown beak and head, as shown in the photo.
Cinnamon green cheek conures are more shy and cautious, and it takes time for them to warm up. But they can be affectionate in the long run.
Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
$300 to $400+
As its name suggests, this mutation resembles a ripe pineapple.
Their distinct appearance of red and yellow feathers on their body makes them visually appealing.
They’re bred from cinnamon green cheek conures and yellow-sided green cheeks, and the resulting color combination is fantastic.
They’re also shy but warm up more quickly than the cinnamon green ones.
Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
More or Less $450
These lovely birds with muted sapphire wing hue, off-white base feathers, blue head, and dull burgundy tail are the rarest among the 5.
What makes them distinct is their sapphire feathers on the stomach. Despite their dark coloration, they still dazzle with their elegant beauty.
However, they’re the most aloof and autonomous among the five, yet they can still become affectionate over time.
Aside from these 5, you may also find turquoise cinnamon, turquoise yellow-sided, turquoise pineapple, and jade or misty mutations in Australia.
Green-Cheeked Conure’s Origin and Natural Habitat
These birds hail from South America in the forests and woodland of Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.
They usually congregate with 10 to 20 birds per flock at a tree top level or larger flocks at a place where there’s more food.
Green-Cheeked Conure’s Personality and Behavior
These medium-sized birds have big personalities. They can entertain you with hilarious antics like hanging upside-down.
They can also be mischievous, so you need to keep an eye on them. But conures are easygoing and easy to train.
Are green cheek conures calm?
Conures have a reputation for being nippy and moody sometimes, but such bad behavior can be trained when they’re young.
They can be gentle and quiet with proper guidance, training, and interaction.
Do green cheek conures like to cuddle?
Every bird is different, but they’re affectionate, enjoy petting, and tolerate handling.
Green Cheek Conure Talking Abilities and Intelligence
Conures are intelligent birds that can mimic a few human words. They have a soft, gravelly voice, so it may not be easy to understand them. You probably wouldn’t even notice that they’re talking to you.
They can start mimicking words when they’re 2 to 3 months old.
Conures’ talking skills are nothing compared to other parrots like African Greys, but theirs are fairly decent.
It’d be best to teach them short 1-2 syllable words or short phrases such as “I love you,” “pretty bird,” or “hello.”
It takes a lot of patience and positive reinforcement to teach Conures to talk. Furthermore, they’re quieter than other parrots.
But the brighter side is you don’t need to worry about them picking up swear or undesirable words because they can’t mimic those that aren’t directed at them.
So, if you’re language-conscious, these colorful conure birds may suit you.
You may also teach your conures basic commands like “up” to transport it from perch to parch and establish trust.
Green cheek conures also love communicating with other flock members by chirping, whispering, purring, or mumbling.
Training Green-Cheeked Conure
Conures are easier to train when they’re young because their fresh and young minds are willing to take in new information.
But their personality plays a huge role in the ease of training too. Birds who don’t cooperate are longer to train, but the calm ones learn faster.
Training Tips for Conure Owners
Here are some tricks that will help you train your bird successfully.
Be Patient
As we said earlier, you must be patient when working and training a conure parrot because they may resist due to their moodiness.
Clear Distractions
Keep your room or training area from distractions like colorful toys and by closing windows to help them focus.
Use Positive Reinforcements
Negative reinforcements will result in undesirable behavior. So, when training a conure, it’s best to use verbal praise and treats to encourage them to learn better.
Make The Training Fun
Birds respond better when you stay upbeat and use voice inflection. So setting the right mood is crucial to training success.
Repeat Until He Makes It!
Some green cheek conures learn faster than others, but with repetitions and positive reinforcements, you can help them pick some words.
Try Timed Session
Each conure has its own limit or learning capacity. But it’s best to keep the training short and sweet to avoid stressing conures.
Where to Find Green-Cheeked Conure for Sale
If you’re looking to purchase a green-cheeked conure from a reputable parrot breeder in the US, check the Beauty of Birds directory.
Before finalizing a purchase, it’d be best to interview the breeder and look at the conure birds’ general health and living conditions.
Talking to previous customers will also help you find reputable people in the business.
Look out for breeders who avoid answering questions or don’t have sufficient information about the birds, and avoid birds with cramped living conditions or inactive.
By doing these steps, you can end up with a quality bird and save yourself from lots of troubles.
But if you prefer adopting a conure, animal shelters and rescue organizations are the way to go.
These gentle and low-maintenance conure parrots are not frequently up for adoption, but you may find a few from the following rescues:
Green-Cheeked Conure’s Predators and Threats
Conure birds’ common predators are false vampire bats and ornate hawk eagles. Fortunately, green-cheeked conure parrots are diurnal.
So, they rarely roam around at night. And these birds live next to each other, so when an eagle attacks, it can quickly disperse.
That’s why these predators are often unsuccessful in hunting the conures.
Green-Cheeked Conure Conservation Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(IUCN) listed green-cheeked conures as “least concern,” which means it’s far from endangered.
However, its population has decreased drastically in the wild due to deforestation’s loss of natural habitat and the high demand for these exotic birds.
The trade continues despite the prohibition of capturing and selling green-cheeked conure parrots. And most conure pet birds in North America came from captive individuals.
Green-Cheeked Conure Lifespan
These conure birds can live up to 25 to 30 years or more with proper care and complete nutrition.
But a captive green-cheeked conure can barely reach ten years old if not taken care of properly or left alone.
Furthermore, they can develop several health issues in the long run.
Common Health Issues of Green-Cheeked Conure
Green-cheeked conures are susceptible to feather picking due to boredom or lack of mental stimulation.
You can prevent them from developing this condition by providing your conure birds an enriched environment with play, foraging, and plenty of chew toys.
Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD), Psittacosis, Psittacine Beak, Feather Disease, beak malocclusion, and Aspergillosis(fungal infection) are also common in conures.
Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to keeping your birds in good shape. So, regular checkups must be part of your routine as an avian parent.
Is Green-Cheeked Conure the Right Pet Bird For You?
If you’re wondering and thinking, “Is a green cheek conure a good pet?”
Conures have the right blend of playfulness and shyness and are typically quieter than other birds. They can entertain you with their comical antiques, but they can also be affectionate.
These birds are also more affordable and low-maintenance compared to large parrots. So raising them won’t break the bank.
However, they can be loud sometimes. And when you’re around, they’ll need to spend at least 2 hours socializing with you.
Otherwise, they’ll get sad or depressed when not given enough attention. So, it all comes down to your preferences.
But we believe that the pros outweigh the cons, and they can make excellent pets.
Pros:
- Friendly and social birds
- Smart and can learn some tricks
- Quieter than other parrots
- Colorful plumage
Cons:
- It can still get loud sometimes
- Need at least 2 to 4 hours of exercise and socialization daily
Green-Cheeked Conure Bird Care Tips and Tricks
These conures thrive when kept in pairs, but you must not house them in different species to avoid trouble.
If you can’t give them a companion, you must spend enough time interacting with them to have a social time.
Green Cheek Conure Diet
Their diet in the wild consists of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and occasional insects. So, conure pets should have the same diet.
But to optimize their health, it’s best to feed your pet with fruits and vegetables and supplement them with high-quality bird feed pellets.
It’s easy to incorporate fresh foods into their diet using the chop concept, which involves preparing a salad mixture.
Exercise
In the wild, conure parrots fly long distances while searching for food, mate, or nesting site. But that’s not possible in captivity.
So, we recommend letting them leave the cage and exercise for at least 2 hours daily to remain happy and healthy. But you may need to supervise them throughout their playtime.
If you can’t do that, you can put a play gym on the top of their cage where they can spread their wings and exercise.
Housing a Green-Cheeked Conure
Green-cheeked conure’s minimum bird cage requirement is 24 square inches with a height of 30 inches and metal bars spaced 1/2 to 3/4 inch apart.
But a bigger bird cage is better! If you decide to give them a companion, you must increase the cage size to make them comfortable.
They also need toys and perches at least 9 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter.
Common Questions About Green-Cheeked Conure
Do green cheek conures need a friend?
Conure pets need companionship, so they’d love it if you could dedicate time and attention to them.
But if it doesn’t work, getting another conure that can accompany him is the right choice.
Are green cheek conures high maintenance?
Green-cheeked conures are high-maintenance for some because they can be destructive and may chew a lot.
So, if you don’t have sufficient time to visit vets or satisfy their needs, you better re-think if they’re right for you.
How long can a conure be left alone?
Parrots, like conures, are social creatures who love human interaction and having company, so you shouldn’t keep them alone for more than six or eight hours at most.
They need enough time with you to keep them stimulated and happy.
Do green cheek conures poop a lot?
Our conures poop once every 15 to 20 minutes, so that’s a lot! But this is due to their diet and job.
Can you potty train a green cheek conure?
These conure birds can be potty trained. Training them can be better house pets in the long run.
It should be easy to do this since the habit can be developed in as little as 72 hours.
Do green cheek conure bites hurt?
Conure birds may bite occasionally, but it may not hurt since they’re not aggressive biters. But if you threaten them, they can bite hard and break the skin if they want to.
But the good news is you can successfully train them to correct such behavior if you’d work with them at a young age.
How many hours of sleep does a green cheek conure need?
Like other parrots, green-cheeked conures need 10 to 12 hours of sleep every night.
Conure parrots in the wild go to roost before sunset and wake at dawn. Therefore, they live a 24-hour cycle of 12 hours sleeping and 12 hours awake.
Green-Cheeked Conure Conclusive Thoughts
A hand-raised, socialized green-cheeked conure can make an excellent pet due to its intelligence, hilarious but shy personality, and striking plumage.
Despite their lacking talking ability, their big personality just outweighs the cons.
But it takes patience and dedication to tame and train them. However, they can be good family pet birds.
And you’ll be rewarded with an affectionate companion if you can establish trust and bond with each other.
However, if you keep leaving them alone, your conure parrot may suffer from distress and depression.
Since each green-cheeked conure parrot mutation has a different personality, you must choose wisely to ensure you get the right bird.
Do you prefer an excellent talking parrot with plumage as pretty as conures? Then check this bird species that excels in the speech department but is low-maintenance and appealing.