Half-moon
Conure |
Half-moon Conure
Subspecies eburnirostrum |
Aratinga Canicularis |
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Sub Species:
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Description The smallest of the aratingas at 9 1/2 inches (24cm). The average weight is 73-80 grams. The bird is primarily green with a wide orange band on the forehead that touches (or nearly touches) the lores. (Thus the source of the common name half-moon or orange-fronted.) The feathers on the top of the head directly behind the orange halfmoon have a distinct blue coloring. The throat and chest are an olive green. The primary flight feathers are a vivid dark blue and the secondaries have blue around the edges. The wide eye ring is white, sometimes even a yellowish white and the iris is a golden yellow. The legs are a dark taupe color. The nominate species has a horn-colored uppper and lower beaks. The sub-species eburnirostrum looks similar to the nominate species except that the lower beak has a dark grey or taupe stripe on each side. The sub-species clarae has the same stripe on the lower beak but displays a much narrower band of orange on the forehead, sometimes reduced to a large spot in the middle of the head. The half-moon conure often is confused
with the slightly larger peach-fronted conure (aratinga aurea). The
easiest distinction between the two is the solid black beak of the
peach-fronted versus the horn-colored beak of the half-moon. |
Natural RangeThe half-moon conure lives
in western Mexico all the way south to Costa Rica. The nominate species
is found primarily in southern part of the range, the sub species eburnirostrum
is found in the central part of this range and the sub species clarae
is found in the northern part of the range. |
| Status Half-moons are popular pet
birds and can still be found in aviculture. While not thought to be
endangered in the wild, some aviculturists who grew up the birds' natural
range in Mexico and Central America have noted a decline in the numbers
and size of the wild flocks. This is most likely due to development,
deforestation and other pressures on the wild population. |
Personality Half-moons are big birds in small bodies.
They tend to have huge personalities and insist on their rightful
place in the home or aviary. They have good talking ability but their
little voices can sometimes be difficult to understand. They can be
taught tricks and are very interested in being involved in the activities
of their home. Pets dearly love to be with their people but are also
quite happy to entertain themselves in the cage or on a perch with
their favorite toys. Half-moons are quite talented flyers, even when
clipped, so owners need to be constantly aware of open doors, windows
and household threats such as hot stove tops or ceiling fans. |
Breeding Half-moons have a reputation of being
somewhat hard to breed. Once a compatible pair is found, however,
they can be quite prolific. They usually produce three to five eggs
in a clutch and tend to be good parents. The young may wean as early
as seven weeks of age but also may allow a benevolent caregiver to
feed them hand rearing formula beyone the age of ten weeks. |