Birds
Sun Conure
Aratinga solstitialis · also called sun conures, sun parakeet
Blazing with solid golden-orange plumage bright enough to be seen across an open savanna, a sun conure calls loudly to its flock, one of the most familiar parrots in the pet trade despite a wild population that has collapsed to Endangered levels.
Overview
The sun conure, Aratinga solstitialis, is a vividly coloured, highly social parrot native to savanna and forest edge habitat across a restricted area of northeastern South America. Its blazing golden-orange plumage, severely declined wild population driven by pet-trade trapping, and status as one of the most recognisable captive parrots in the world make it a striking illustration of the gap between a species’ popularity in captivity and its precarious status in the wild.
Common in cages, rare in the wild
Few parrots illustrate the disconnect between captive abundance and wild scarcity as starkly as the sun conure, a bird instantly familiar from pet shops and aviaries worldwide yet now classified as Endangered across its native range due to decades of trapping.
Status
Endangered, with wild populations severely reduced by trapping for the international pet trade despite the species remaining common and widely bred in captivity.
Sun Conure: common questions
Why is the sun conure Endangered if it is so common as a pet?
This species has suffered a severe decline in its wild population, driven heavily by trapping for the international pet trade combined with a naturally restricted range in the wild, so despite remaining widely bred and common in captivity, wild populations are classified as Endangered.
What does a sun conure look like?
This species has a body covered almost entirely in vivid golden-orange plumage, with patches of green on the wings, making it one of the most brightly and solidly coloured parrots kept in captivity anywhere in the world.
Where does the sun conure live in the wild?
This species is native to savanna and forest edge habitat across a restricted area of northeastern South America, a relatively limited range compared with many other conure species that are more widely distributed across the continent.
Are sun conures social birds?
Yes, this species is highly social, typically living and foraging in small flocks that move together between feeding sites, using loud, piercing calls to stay in contact as they travel through savanna woodland and forest edge habitat.