Nandaya, Nanday, Black Headed or Black Masked Conure
Characteristics
Length: 30 cm (about 12 inches). Green. Blackish-blue cap. Light green color traversed with black below the eye. Some blue on throat and upper breast. Flight feathers bluish-black. Olive-green tail with bluish-black point. Tail very dark green underneath. Thighs red. Eyes reddish-brown, beak blackish-gray, legs brownish pink. As a pet it can be tamed, and is regarded as a good talker.
Social Behavior
Prefers to be kept in pairs or colonies. Young birds may to speak a few words.
Diet
All parakeets and parrots, including conures, need a large variety of fresh, healthy foods, whether on a pellet or a seed diet. Beneficial foods include dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, dandelions, and chard, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Healthy table foods like cooked eggs, corn, beans, pasta, and rice can also be offered. Remove perishable foods after a few hours and at bedtime. Grit, gravel, and oyster shells should never be given. A seed-only diet will result in malnutrition. Eventually, a conure should become acclimated to a diet containing specially formulated pellets. An AVIAN vet can help with more information.
Cleaning
Tray liners should be replaced every day and the cage bottom, fittings and dishes regularly washed with hot water and soap. Once a month, disinfect the cage with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly. Line the tray with black and white newspaper or paper towels. It is unsafe to use pine/cedar shavings, corn cob or walnut bedding.
Fertility
Providing their accommodation is roomy, these birds will breed quite readily. Do not hang the nest box (30 x 30 x 40 cm: entrance 8 cm diameter) too high, because they like sitting on top of them to watch the world go by, while making loud commentary. When the female is incubating the eggs (25 days), the male sits for hours in silence on top of the box. The hen lays 2-5 eggs. During incubation the male likes to sleep on the nest at night. The young leave the nest after 7 weeks. This species can be kept together with finches and likes to take a bath or hop around in a rain shower.
Health
All parakeets and parrots, including conures, should be examined by a qualified AVIAN vet at least once a year or ASAP if any bleeding, injuries, or other signs are noted. It can be hard to tell when a bird is ill, and by the time you notice a problem, the sickness is usually well-advanced. Delaying a visit with an AVIAN vet or using over-the-counter or human medicines may be fatal.
Warnings
All parrakeets and parrots, including conures, have very sensitive respiratory systems and should not be exposed to cigarette smoke, aerosols, harsh cleaning products, or other toxic fumes.
