Animal-World > Pet Birds > Conures > Red-masked Conure

Red-masked Conure

Cherry-headed Conure ~ Red-headed Conure Family: Psittacidae

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LolaAratinga erythrogenys Photo Courtesy: Diane at Exotic Birds Unlimited

   "Lola is such a happy little bird! She is a DNA sexed female Cherry-headed Conure and she eats Zupreem Pellets. She doesn't talk but is very playful!"..Diane

   Besides being very intelligent and loveable, the Red-masked Conure or Cherry-headed Conure is a real clown and loves to show off. They are easy to tame and are good talkers. They do however have a grating call and can get quite loud. They also love to play and chew, so be sure to provide them with lots of wooden toys to keep them well occupied.

   The Red-masked Conure is the bird most often referred to when describing the Cherry Headed Conure, however it is one of four conures that are sometimes called the Cherry-headed Conure. This group of red-headed conures includes the Wagner's Conure, the Mitred Conure, the Finsch's Conure, and of course the Red-masked Conure.

   This confusion usually happens because these conures can look very similar when they are juveniles. Though generally beyond six months they can be distinguished, It does takes several years for them to get their full coloration, and then they are much easier to identify. The Red-masked Conure is the smallest and is the most colorful of these four red-headed conures.

For more information about the care of Conures see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Conure

Distribution:
   The Red-masked Conure or Cherry-headed Conure is found in the arid zones of western Ecuador and northwestern parts of Peru. They inhabit open forests or the forest edge and are sometimes found near towns.

Description:
  This conure has a beautiful green plumage that is paler and more yellowish on the underside. Except for the back half of the cheeks the whole head is red, completely encircling the eyes and often on the throat and neck as well. There is also red on the shoulders, underside of the wings and the thighs. The eye is yellow surrounded by a naked, creamy white eye ring. The beak is horn colored and the legs are gray.
   Young Red-masked Conure's have gray eyes and lack the red on the head.

Size - Weight:
   The Red-masked Conure will reach up to 13 inches (33 cm) and weigh 5.8 - 6.5 ozs (164 - 184 g).

Care and feeding:
  A roomy cage is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. They eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat.
   See About Conures: Housing and About Conures: Care and Feeding for more information.

Social Behaviors:
   These birds make a very warm and friendly pet.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Red-Masked Conure breeds readily in captivity, though generally in the hotter part of the year. The female will lay between 3 to 4 eggs which will incubate for about 23 to 25 days. The young will fledge at about 6 weeks and be fully weaned by 11 or 12 weeks. The breeding box should be about 10" (25 cm) by 11" (28 cm) and 21" (53 cm) deep, with a 4 1/2" (11 cm) entrance.

Potential Problems:
   As with many Aratinga species, Red-masked Conures or Cherry-headed Conures can be quite noisy.
   See About Conures: Potential Problems for more information.

Availability:
  This bird is fairly available. Your best bet is to find one at a pet store or reputable breeder.

Activities:  Loves to climb and play. Provide lots of toys.

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When I was about 12 my parents adopted a red-masked conure for me. We don't know how old he is and when we got him he didn't have a name so we named him Sole(so-LAY). We were told his previous owner never took good care of him and often ignored him and would sometimes treat him badly. When he came he came in this ugly, old, dirty cage along with a parakeet, which we also adopted. We all thought that given the kind of conditions he was living in before he'd be a little mean and would attack us anytime we got near. However, the moment my brother brought him in he started to show off by hanging upside down in his cage, hanging by his beak and even trying to imitate me and when I opened his cage he immediately flew out to greet me by nuzzling my cheek. I've now had Sole for four, nearly five, years. He is a tremendous joy in our family and often is referred to by my mother as a mama's boy because he is very attached to me as I am to him. He is very intelligent and is able to say many things however he prefers not to. Sole enjoys singing along to Mariah Carey, playing in water and even likes to look at books(and then chew on them). He also gets along very well with our other pet birds and even lets them boss him around even though they're all much smaller than he is. (: He is also very affectionate and loves to give and receive kisses. :) He has such a great personality and I'm so glad I have him. :) Jenny 2009-01-02
Last spring, we adopted a red-masked conure that plucks its entire body bare of feathers except his head and neck, leaving only the contour feathers on wing and tail. Fred is slightly bigger than a sun or jenday, but less noisy and far less shrill. It is more noisy and slightly smaller than a "Queen of Bavaria". We were amazed when we determined from its leg band that it was imported at least 15 years ago, since it is otherwise quite active and healthy. It has a HUGE personality. The bird says "hello," "What's for dinner?," "We have a problem" and "Come Back Here" fairly clearly in appropriate contexts. It also mimics our squeaky patio door and dances to a good musical beat. Our nephew started calling it "bobble head" after he saw it dancing one day. Though we have not determined its gender we call it "Fred". At first Fred tried to bite us every chance it got, so we had to clip its wings to prevent being attacked. Happily, Fred is becoming a little more trusting and trustworthy every day. The bird is still a little bit psycho about defending the cage territory, and it doesn't want to be touched, but it will now will step up and ride on sticks and shoulders. Fred is ecstatic about bathing in his deep basin; our daughter swears that the bird swims. Fred is intelligent, quite engaging and always entertaining. It loves to eat mashed potatoes and drink orange juice. Regarding its feather-plucking, I have come to believe that the bird is either making a fashion statement, or is just too warm in the house with its feathers on. My evidence is that it likes to have a few ice cubes in its bath as well as in the water dish. Sometimes it just chews on the ice. boo boo 2008-09-14
I love my Red-Masked Conure. He came to me by a dear friend. I have not been not gotten to get as close to him as I would like, but he has already stolen my heart. Connie Connie Sue Carlisle 2008-07-16
I love my conure!!!! He is so cute and quite strange at times yet very affectionate. After just a few days he was part of our family forgetting even himself he was bird. He imitates soda cans opening; and says hello when the phone rings, I love my conure.:) Snooks 2006-12-13
We have a red masked conure. we dont know what sex it is but it is the strangest bird we have ever had, and it does not conform to what we have read about them lynn butler 2006-08-04

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Author: Clarice Brough, CAS