Dusky-headed Parakeet

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Conservation status

Least Concern

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Genus:	Aratinga
Species:	A. weddellii

Binomial name

Aratinga weddellii
(Deville, 1851)

The Dusky-headed Conure or Weddell's Conure (Aratinga weddellii) is a member of the South American parakeet family. It is generally green in color (blue mutations are rare, but do exist) with a gray-brown head and blue-edged black remiges, and unfortunately is often overlooked for its more flashy cousins. At an average of 11 inches (28cm) long, and with weight of about 100 grams, the full-grown Dusky-head is slightly smaller than a Sun Conure.

In the wild, the Dusky-Headed Conure can be found along the Amazon River and its tributaries in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. It inhabits rainforest, marshes, forest remnants and regrowth in cleared areas, and sometimes coffee plantations. It is not currently endangered. The Dusky-headed Conure is social, and is usually found in pairs or small groups. When food is plentiful it forms flocks of up to 100 members. The bird eats fruit, seeds, and flowers, and will search decaying wood for insect larvae. It also ingests mineral-rich soil as a supplement. The birds pair to raise offspring together, nesting in woodpecker holes in trees or arboreal termite nests.

In the wild with macaws and amazons at a clay lick in Ecuador. Consuming clay neutralises toxins in the diet.

Dusky-headed Conures do well in captivity and can be kept in an aviary.^{[citation needed]} They are fairly easy to breed if provided with a durable nest box, and will lay up to three clutches per year.^{[citation needed]}