QUEEN OF BAVARIA CONURE
In a slightly similar situation to the Patagonian Conure, the Queen
of Bavaria or Golden Conure Guarouba guarouba (formerly
classifi ed Aratinga) is low in numbers and produced sporadically.
An additional problem for the species is its tendency to pluck and
become stressed. The problem is so common that it is very rare to
witness a Queen of Bavaria Conure that does not have some sort
of feather damage, with their tails often being the prime source
of attention. Again, prices have come down a bit as focus and
popularity move elsewhere. It would be good to see a resurgence in
attention from committed breeders to put more birds on the perch.
CONCLUSION
The conure group is a fascinating and interesting subject for
aviculture, and we are lucky to have so many species available or
on offer within the Australian market. The species listed in this
article only represent the rarer, more diffi cult to fi nd conures,
with the ability and ease by which one can fi nd pure-to-type
birds the prerequisite for inclusion. As described, the forces that
create these situations are the trading market, and with more
species then ever being available at present, combined with the
stagnation of wages and household debt, hobby money that was
once plentiful is now spread very thinly.
It is at this point that hobbyists should take a holiday from the
focus of ‘investment returns’ and just keep and breed what they
enjoy, and wait for market forces to turn around, as they will do.
It is not in our collective interests to allow species to disappear
from our aviaries, as one day some of these conures that we
remember as once being so common could die out in this country.
So, if you have the space, or are
looking for a genus with unique
attributes that could fi ll both aviary
and pet environments, please
choose one or more of these conure
species to work with, and have
pride that you are preserving their
existence into the future.
Conures—
A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual $20 + P&H
Available from ABK Phone 07 5568 0011Pyrrhura
Conures
by Rosemary Low
$76 + P&HQueen of Bavaria Conure
J WELCH