If you are interested in keeping rare parrots and how these are bred, you might be curious about the pied sun conure, and keen to learn more about how this bird is bred and what keeping it entails. Pied sun conures are beautiful birds and many owners find them extremely attractive, but owning one involves dedication and work, and you should do some thorough research before you take one on.
It is always important to understand a bird’s viability if you are thinking of taking one on as a pet; you should not get a bird without recognizing what a huge commitment this is, particularly given the longevity of some species. Parakeets are intelligent and amazing birds, but this means that they can be demanding and they require a lot of care.
Pied sun conures are particularly popular because of their attractive coloration, and they are wonderful companions that can learn to talk (to a degree) and form strong bonds with their owners. Sun conures (as a whole, not the pied ones) are endangered in the wild, so if you are going to buy one of these birds, make sure you do intensive research into the seller, where the bird has come from, and the ethics behind its captivity. This reduces the risk of doing damage to wild populations that are already seriously threatened.
What Is A Pied Sun Conure?
A pied sun conure is a member of the conure family, which is also referred to as a sun parakeet. Sun conures have bright, vivid colors, and are native to only certain parts of Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana, with a very limited spread in the wild – they are much more common in captivity these days. Their plumage is attractive and eye-catching, and although it changes as the bird matures, adult sun conures (not pied) will have golden yellow feathers with red-orange around the face and dark gray flight feathers.
A pied sun conure shares similarities with the standard color, but the red-orange is generally less pronounced, and the bird is predominantly yellow across its whole body and face, sometimes with white tips to the feathers or the occasional tiny green or blue feather on the body. The feet of a pied sun conure are white, rather than the black shown by standard sun conures. Baby pied conures almost entirely lack the green that the young standard sun conures wear as infants; pieds will be golden yellow throughout their lives.
The pied sun conure is created by breeding a recessive gene to encourage the appearance of the pied feathering, and it is only relatively recently that this has been successful. In consequence, pied sun conures are in high demand and are still rare birds. If you wish to get one, you should expect to pay a significant amount for it.
Are Pied Sun Conures The Loudest?
Sun conures as a whole can be noisy, and this applies to pied sun conures too; they are among the loudest birds in the world, alongside macaws. You must be aware of this and prepared to deal with it before you purchase a conure, particularly if you live in a built up area and noise could be a problem. The scream is extremely piercing and can be startling, especially when you are not used to it.
Pied sun conures are very much learning birds, so if you have one from infanthood and you are able to raise it correctly, you may be able to stymie the screaming to a degree. If you do not reward screaming and you reduce the reasons for it to scream (by always making sure it has sufficient attention, food, and water), you may end up with a bird that does not persistently make a racket.
However, it is best to assume that your pied sun conure is going to be very loud; these are certainly not quiet birds. They developed their scream to be heard over long distances in the chaos of the jungle, and they will shriek for your attention, to greet you, to let you know they are hungry, or because they are bored. Be prepared for this, particularly if you are taking on one that may have developed screaming habits, but even with a baby that you will have an opportunity to train.
How Much Are Pied Sun Conures Worth?
Price is a big factor when choosing a bird, and sun conures are not cheap – let alone those with the rare pied mutation – and they are considered among the most expensive birds you can buy. Their rarity in the wild, their attractive plumage, and their prestige all serve to push the price up, so do not buy a sun conure if you are working on a budget, even if you can find one with the pied mutation.
There are currently no estimates on what pied sun conures are worth, but a standard sun conure will usually cost between $200 and $800 if you buy it from a breeder, or at least $100 to adopt from a rescue. These birds are immensely sought after and therefore come with a high price tag, and the rare pied sun conure will take this even further, since breeders have worked hard to get the mutation to show.
Be wary of anyone who is selling pied sun conures cheaply, as there is likely something wrong with the bird; you should always do thorough research into the seller’s reputation and the condition of the birds before purchasing one. Remember to think about the other costs too, as supplies like cages, toys, and food can add up quickly.
Conclusion
Pied sun conures are still very rare birds, and you may not be able to source one easily due to this. However, if you really love the yellow of this bird’s plumage, it may be worth looking for a pied conure, which will show this plumage even more demonstrably, even as a chick. They are stunning and intelligent companions that will add a lot of value to your life.
