Green Cheeked Conure Profile
Green-cheeked parakeets are small-sized parrots that are widespread in South America. They are little birds with a gymnastic and clown-like personality to amuse everyone.
- Size: about 26cm
- Weight: 2 to 3 ounces
- Life expectancy: 20-30 years
- Phylogeny: Green-cheeked parrots belong to the family Psittacidae and subfamily Arinae. the gender pyrrha consists of long-tailed parrots from the new world of parrots.
- Sex identification: Males and females are visually identical (monomorphic). The DNA from the feathers can be used for identification.
- Common names: green-cheeked parakeet, green-cheeked parakeet, green-cheeked parakeet, green-cheeked parrot
- Scientific name (Genus species): Pyrrhura molinae
Green-cheeked conure ssp. molinae
identification guide
There are six subspecies of green-cheeked parakeets. Five of them are quite discernible and one is well marked (you can see the photos above to see the differences).
13:00 mills
- From crown to nape: green tinged with brown
- Cheeks: Shining green
- Back Neck: it has some blue feathers
- Mother: pale brown with greyish-white or dull yellow streaks down the center of the breast
- Feathers: pointed, dark brown
- eye ring: white
Geographical distribution: bolivian east
2:00 p.m. restricted
- Mother: white barred greyish brown
- Back Neck: has a blue collar
- Cheeks: blue tinged with green
- Flanks and undertail coverts: tinted blue
Geographical distribution: Santa Cruz, Bolivia
3:00 pm dirty
green shape: Similar to P.m. restricts:
- Mother: yellow-tinged center
- Flanks and undertail coverts: little or no bluish suffusion
Yellow morph, also known as the yellow-sided green-cheeked conure:
- Throat: yellowish white barred brown
- Mother: upper breast yellowish white brown barred
- Lower Bottoms: yellow indistinctly barred green and brown
- Undertail coverts: yellowish white tinged with blue
Geographical distribution: southern Brazil and northwestern Paraguay
4pm Australian
- General: paler than molinae
- Mother: yellow-tinged center
- abdomen: a reddish brown spot
Geographical distribution: southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina
5 pm flavoptera
Very similar to P. m. molinae but here are some differences:
- To: The curve of the wing and the carpal edge are reddish-orange.
- Feathers: mixed blue and yellowish white
Geographical distribution: northern Bolivia
6:00 pm Phoenician
Geographical distribution: southern Brazil and northeastern Bolivia
Temperament and Behavior
- Green-cheeked Conures are smaller and generally calmer than Aratinga species (such as Janday and Sun Conures).
- They are an intelligent, curious and interactive species.
- Green cheeks ask for regular interaction with their owners.
- They can be more active and social than cockatiels or parakeets, which can be both good and bad depending on the owner.
- They make one of the cutest parrots. If they are well trained they can be considered a shoulder bird.
- Green-cheeked Conures will hide under cage papers or the owner’s clothing.
- They can sometimes become destructive and may show moderate biting potential. As these traits are common in most large-billed parrots, green cheeks are no exception.
Speech and Vocalization
As stated above, Green-cheeked Parakeets are reputed to be a calmer species. Like other conures, they can be vocal, but still not so vocal that you call it a problem. They have really low talking potential, so if you’re hoping to get a parrot that can talk, you may have a hard time training it.
care and exercise
- Green-cheeked Conures can live alone or in pairs, but they will like it when combined with other bird species.
- Provide your feathered companions with clean, fresh air to breathe. Anything that emits strong gases or smoke, such as pesticide sprays, paints, air fresheners, incense, and burning plastic, is a potential hazard to the bird.
- Like any other pet bird, regular bathing is important for Green-cheeked Parakeets. It will be a simple task for the owners. Some of them could even bathe in a water dish.
Cage and Nest Box
The best thing you can do to care for a bird is to keep it out of the cage as long as possible while protecting it from all kinds of harm.
- The most recommended is a vertical cage that allows the bird to fly free of obstructions. Horizontal cages also work well, but vertical cages are more likely to fit as a home for a green-cheeked parakeet.
- An ideal cage for a Green-cheeked Parakeet should be between 18 and 22 square inches wide and 36 inches tall.
- Bar spacing should be done 1/2 to 3/4 inch apart. It must be such that the bird cannot stick its head out through the cage.
- The materials used for the construction of the cage must not be toxic.
- A cage height that allows the parrot to perch at chest or human shoulder level is most comfortable.
- The bird must not remain in a cage for more than 48 hours, in any case.
- A green-cheeked parakeet may need a nest box year-round. It should be upright and measure about 10 inches X 10 inches x 10 inches.
Hangers, Gyms and Toys
DIY or store-bought hangers? Both are good, although good quality commercial hangers are hard to find and quite expensive.
- The perch must be made of pesticide-free wood. It should be a safe chewable substrate. Natural branches with bark are recommended as roosts.
- The circumference of a perch’s wood should allow the bird to wrap around its legs most of the time.
- Large pieces of fresh vegetables and fruit on a skewer encourage foraging. You can get one of those at a nearby pet store or on Amazon.
- Green-cheeked conures enjoy toys such as chew items or foot toys, foraging toys. They like to be very active and if you can’t dedicate most of your time to them, you should definitely get them as many toys as you can.
Diet and Nutrition
In the wild, green-cheeked parakeets eat pulp and small seeds of different plant species, especially fig (Ficus calyptoceras) and Ambay bomba trees.
More than 50 percent of the bird’s diet should be formulated product, and the remaining portion can be human feed with good quality seed mix and fresh feed.
Feeding birds a diet high in human food will result in a lack of many nutrients and may not provide some nutrients such as vitamin D. High seed diets, on the other hand, can cause birds to consume a excess fat.
Formulated pelleted diets contain the proper balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. I recommend Natural Zupreem granules It has all the essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Green cheeks will get used to it in a few days.
There are other pellets like Roudybush, Hagen tropican, Caitec Ovenfresh bites, and Lafeber products that you can try. All of these are more or less the same in terms of the nutrients they provide.
Do not feed food that has been bitten by a human as human saliva contains bacteria that are not normal for parrots.
Food Disclaimer
A diet rich in human foods can only be considered if it is developed with the help of a professional nutritionist.
Acceptable Human Food
| Carrot | Sweet corn | Strawberry |
| Spinach | Bell pepper (yellow, red) | beets |
| Lettuce | Green grapes | red raisins |
| Cucumber | Broccoli | Cauliflower |
| Green peas | egg, baked chicken | macaroni, pasta |
Health problems
There is no specific disease that occurs exceptionally in green-cheeked parakeets. Conditions that are common include the following:
- Psittacosis, a bacterial disease
- Conure hemorrhagic syndrome
- Avian bornavirus, a viral infection
- Malassezia yeast organisms in the keratin of feather follicles (rare)
- Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD)
- Gout
- Parrot beak and feather disease, a viral disease
- marek’s disease virus
Cost of raising a Green-cheeked Parakeet
According to the ASPCA, the general cost of caring for a small bird is $390 the first year and $320 annually. My estimate is pretty close to this.
- Cage: $220-450
- Play gyms, swings and other toys: $100-300
- Food expenses: $100-200 for granulated food
- Medical expenses: Although pet birds may hardly need a vet, it’s safe to figure out medical expenses ahead of time.
How and where to adopt
Parrots are the last pet anyone should impulsively adopt. They require a long-term commitment, as well as emotional and physical care. After much research, if you’re set on buying a Green-cheeked Parakeet, don’t buy one from a pet store.
I highly recommend adopting one from a rescue center. This is the least you can do to prevent the illegal trade and cruel breeding of birds. You will be providing a home for a bird in need.
You can adopt a Green-cheeked Parakeet from the following places:
similar species
Maroon-bellied Conures (Conure P. frontalis) are quite similar to Green-cheeked Conures. They can be differentiated from the latter by a green crown and the upper part of the olive tail.
This is a very detailed and well illustrated article. I think I might have seen some of these in a wildlife park area in the Canaries.