Sun conure
The Sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) is a medium-sized, brightly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. Sun parakeets are very social birds, typically living in flocks. They form monogamous pairs for reproduction and nest in palm cavities in the tropics. They are commonly bred and kept in aviculture and may live up to 30 years.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Bright YellowAdult Sun parakeets have a rich yellow crown, nape, mantle, lesser wing coverts, tips of the greater wing coverts, chest, and underwing coverts. The face and belly are orange with red around the ears. The base of the greater wing coverts, tertials, and base of the primaries are green, while the secondaries, tips of the primaries, and most of the primary coverts are dark blue. The tail is olive green with a blue tip. From below, all the flight feathers are dark greyish. The bill is black. The legs and the bare eye-ring are grey, but the latter often fade to white in captivity (so using the amount of grey or white in the eye ring for determining the "purity" of an individual can be misleading). The sexes are similar in plumage, although females may be lighter and slenderer in body, having a shorter tail, with a smaller, rounder head and a smaller beak. Juvenile Sun parakeets have predominantly green plumage. The distinctive yellow, orange, and reddish coloration on the back, abdomen, and head is attained with maturity.
Sun parakeets live in a relatively small region of northeastern South America: the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. They also occur as vagrants to coastal French Guiana. These birds are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. They occur within dry savanna woodlands and coastal forests, but, at the edge of humid forests growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and cross more open savannah habitats only when traveling between patches of forest. Sun parakeets have been seen in shrublands along the Amazon riverbank, as well as forested valleys and coastal, seasonally flooded forests. They usually inhabit fruiting trees and palm groves.
Sun parakeets are very social and typically live in large flocks of 15 to 30 individuals. They rarely leave the flock, but when they get separated from the group, they squawk and scream in a high-pitched voice that can carry for hundreds of yards, allowing individuals to communicate with their flock and return to them. Flocks are relatively quiet while feeding, but are very vocal and make loud noises when in flight. They can travel many miles in a single day, and they are fast direct flyers. Sun parakeets also communicate with a variety of physical displays. Birds within a flock rest, feed one another, preen, and bathe throughout the daylight hours. They move through the trees using their beaks for extra support. They also use their feet like hands to help hold, examine, or eat items.
Sun parakeets are herbivores (frugivores, granivores) and mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, and nuts. They feed on both ripe and half-ripe seeds of both fruits and berries. They also consume insects and at times, they forage from agricultural crops and may be considered pests.
Sun parakeets are monogamous breeders; they form pairs and nest in palm cavities. Prior to breeding, they may be seen feeding and grooming one another. The typical clutch size is 3 or 4 white eggs, and they may be laid in two- to three-day intervals. Females are responsible for the entire incubation period from 23 to 27 days, and only leave the nest for short feeding periods. Males aggressively protect the nest from potential predators. Chicks are born blind, naked, and completely vulnerable. Only after 10 days, they begin to open their eyes and their feather quills break through. Both parents participate in feeding the chicks. The young depend on their parents for 7 to 8 weeks after hatching and only become independent after 9 to 12 weeks. Young parakeets become reproductively mature and start to breed at around 2 years of age.
Sun parakeets are currently endangered. Unfortunately, their population numbers are declining rapidly due to loss of habitat, hunting for plumage, and being excessively wild-caught - about 800,000 each year, for the pet trade. Now, more Sun parakeets are living in people's homes than in the wild.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Sun parakeet is 1,500-3,749 individuals or 1,000-2,499 mature individuals. One known flock in southern Guyana is reported to number up to 200 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...