New perch

[KateMyshkin]

Hmmm I came to brag about how Paco is enjoying his new table top stand but as I uploaded this picture he flew over here and then jumped on my knee where I’m anticipating poop any moment. He screamed at it while I opened the box but I gave him a walnut and he went on it. Once he got on it he hung out there a good thirty minutes until he just flew over here. Good topic of discussion though, flying with clipped wings. I think I’ll start a new thread.

 

[KateMyshkin]

Hooman is better

 

[Tami2]

Very nice :smile049: Levi has a few of them. Great perches.

 

[ZephyrFly]

The stand looks amazing!
Also I know this isn't part of your post but is Paco a maroon bellied conure?

 

[clark_conure]

I think so this came up in another post, well I came up with it...I am pretty sure its a maroon belly.

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/71738-progresssssss.html

 

[LordTriggs]

Sounds like he's having a good day.

Also to solve the mystery I will claim all others to be wrong on the hypothesis of a maroon belly

I present to you, the dusky head conure who Paco looks exactly like! Which considering his noisiness would be explained as instead of a pyrrhura conure would make him an Aritanga

 

[MonicaMc]

How about I just prove you all wrong?!?!?! Or would that be right??? Hmm...



Paco isn't a dusky... he's not a maroon bellied... or a green cheek... Paco is a hybrid.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mfids...MZ6-abcMNn-abcMUp-abd1DM-abcN5v-cXcSL1-cXcSyq

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mfids...MZ6-abcMNn-abcMUp-abd1DM-abcN5v-cXcSL1-cXcSyq


Hybrid of what? Well, half is for sure dusky. The other half? Most likely maroon bellied *OR* green cheek... both have hybridized with dusky headed conures.

I haven't seen adult pictures of either one, so I don't know what distinguishing marks there would be between a dusky x GCC vs a dusky x MBC, but considering Paco's tail feathers are *red*, I'm going to say that he is most likely a Dusky x GCC hybrid.

 

[LordTriggs]

dang monica, blew us all out the water. I'd agree with you on that. The way the feathers sit on the head is what cinches him being a hybrid for me. Definitely an interesting little bird

 

[ZephyrFly]

Didn't realize a dusky could breed a GCC/maroon bellied! Learning something new today

 

[KateMyshkin]

I️ posted his pictures in conure a group on face book and everyone agrees Paco is a hybrid. But of what we cannot decide.

 

[KateMyshkin]

Wow. Paco looks just like that picture of the dusky and gcc hybrid.

 

[MonicaMc]

ZephyrFly If you are interested...

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/25809-pyrrhura-x-large-conure-hybrids.html


KateMyshkin I'm pretty sure that Paco is Dusky x Green Cheek. I didn't recall the Dusky x Maroon Bellied's having any red in the tail feathers, and the photos of these hybrids do not show any red in the tail feathers. You can see those hybrids below.

Black Capped Conures


Now here's something interesting.... Paco should be about 5 years old, right? Well, the pictures I have of the hybrids are also 5 years old.... so it's quite possible that Paco is either related to the hybrids in the picture, *OR* he is even one of them. I don't know that I still have any of the contact info for the breeder, but I thought these birds were located in the northern part of the USA... i.e. maybe around New York? I could easily be wrong, of course... and birds do get shipped around and moved with people... so anythings possible!

 

[clark_conure]

I dunno theres that red patch on his stomach not on monicas pics, as you can make out on this photo, I still kinda think it's a straight up maroon belly. But I differ to more experience. Also I was looking at more google images and their are some traits from both....

 

[MonicaMc]

You also need to take into consideration that several conure species don't have adult coloration until they are 6+ months old, some may even be 6-8 years old before they get all of their adult colors.

For the most part, dusky and green cheeks are born quite similar to what their adult colors will be like, although they can still change some in color. Since Paco is a hybrid, it's even harder to say what the differences may be between chicks vs adults.

Consider crimson bellied conures. These guys are not born with crimson bellies! But as they mature and molt into adult colors, they get their crimson bellies!



Lets take another look at a different image of Paco....

Notice the red tail feathers??? Then compare that to a maroon bellied conure's tail feathers. Predominantly green/olive in coloration.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/parrots/2729238853/


And if you'd like to examine a maroon bellied closer, you may see that the head and chest area is not similar to Paco at all.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/36917655@N08/4488278918/


Compared to Paco's close up...

You are free to argue that he doesn't look like a green cheek conure either, however, he shares more traits with a green cheek conure than he does a maroon bellied. (re: tail feathers) Body shape is also "off" for a Pyrrhura conure.

If we consider the fact that he is a Pyrrhura x Aratinga hybrid, then it makes sense. He definitely has a dusky head! And there are no large conures with red tails. Only Pyrrhuras have that!



What's interesting about Paco is the fact that other Pyrrhura x Aratinga hybrids (namely Sun x Green Cheek and Nanday x Green Cheek) all have green tails. This makes him unique.

https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=1329724@N20&view_all=1&text=green cheek

 

[clark_conure]

I almost don't want to know, everytime this post comes up I do google image searches like I'm playing a role in CSI las vegas....looking for the tiniest trait.... and I enjoy looking at the endless pictures....

I acquiesce, but the fun loving side of me almost want's to go along with "it's obviously this!!...

 

[LordTriggs]

let's settle with Paco being a very unique borb, he sounds like a delight too!

 

[MonicaMc]

Clark, what you circled was an opaline green cheek and a crimson bellied conure! LOL


When I first got into conures, I couldn't tell the species apart that were similar in coloration. I mean, sure, adult suns and jendays are easy to tell apart, but as chicks? If you don't know what to look for, it's not easy! Or how to tell a mitred conure from a cherry head? Or either one from a Waglers or Finschs?

My first conure was a cherry head, but I was told he was "either a red masked conure or a mit-red conure". *GOOD* information 16+ years ago was much harder to come by! I recall articles that would describe one species but have a picture of the other species... talk about confusing! lol



And I take back about what I said about large conures not having red tails! I was thinking of the common species, but when I thought more about it, I realized that there *are* a couple of species that do have red tails. They belong to the Enicognathus genera, which is made up of slender billed and austral conures. They kind of look like a Pyrrhura experiment gone wrong... even have the red stomachs (more prominent in one species than the other), but the beaks are oddly shaped and small for the size of the bird.


So there's a couple of more species you can go and research!

 

[KateMyshkin]

let's settle with Paco being a very unique borb, he sounds like a delight too!

Such a delight. I fell asleep with him in my bed. I woke up with bird poop in my hair and he was having non consensual sex with my hand.

 

[MonicaMc]

For his safety, it would be best not to fall asleep with him out again. It's quite possible to accidentally hurt him while sleeping.


To wake up to that though... :18: