Golden Conure
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 A golden conure at the National Aviary
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| Guaruba guarouba Gmelin, 1788 |
The Golden Conure, Guaruba guarouba, formerly classified as Aratinga guarouba,[2] is also known as the Golden Parakeet[1] or the Queen of Bavaria Conure[2]. It is a type of conure, and is covered in bright yellow plumage, hence the name, but also possesses green wing coverts and flight feathers.[3] It lives in the drier, upland rainforests of Brazil, and is threatened by deforestation and flooding.[4]
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[edit] Behavior
Golden Conures are playful and sociable[citation needed], and may even adopt unrelated birds. This behavior is less common with conures in captivity, who often abandon their young after three weeks.[4] They eat fruits, flowers, buds, seeds, and cultured maize in the wild, but prefer certain types of foods. These include the seed of Croton matouensis, which is related to the castor bean plant; Muruci fruit (Byrsonima crispa); mangoes; and Açaí fruits.[5]
[edit] Reproduction
After the Conure reaches sexual maturity at the age of three years, the breeding season starts in November and runs through February. They nest in a high tree, and lay an average of four 37.1 x 29.9 millimeter eggs, which they aggressively guard. The incubation period is about 30 days, in which they take turns incubating. In the first few years of sexual maturity, golden conures tend to lay infertile clutches until the age of six to eight. In captivity, golden conures will resume breeding when their chicks are taken from them.[4][6]
At birth, Golden Conures are covered in white down that eventually turns darker within a week. By the end of the third week, wing feathers start to develop. Juveniles are playful, but may turn abusive against their peers.[4]
[edit] Conservation
The Golden Conure listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered.[7] This is largely due to deforestation and flooding. Also, because of the attractiveness and high demand of the bird, golden conures are smuggled out of Brazil. Locally, they are considered as pests for feeding on crops, and are hunted for food or sport.[4]
An example of the displacement of Golden Conures by habitat loss comes from the building of the Turucuí Dam from 1975-1984. More than 35,000 forest dwellers were forced from what had been a habitat that was considered to be "among the richest and most diversified in the world." In addition, 2,875 square kilometers of rainforest were flooded, and 1600 islands were produced by the flooding, all of which were heavily deforested.[8]
[edit] Gallery
 Feeding in captivity at the National Aviary |
 Closeup of the head |
 Closeup of the tail |
 Another tail closeup |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Zipcode Zoo URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ a b Aratinga guarouba URL accessed January 26, 2007.
- ^ Golden Palms - Golden Conure URL accessed January 26, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Honolulu Zoo URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ Natural Diet URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ Golden Conure - Breeding URL accessed January 26, 2007.
- ^ Guaruba guarouba URL accessed January 26, 2007.
- ^ Deforestation URL accessed January 26, 2007.
