Nanday Parakeet

Nanday Parakeet

Black-hooded parakeet, Nanday conure

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Aratinga nenday
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
20 years
Weight
140
5
goz
g oz 
Length
27-30
10.6-11.8
cminch
cm inch 

The nanday parakeet (Aratinga nenday ), also known as the black-hooded parakeet or nanday conure, is a medium-small, mostly green, Neotropical parrot native to continental South America.

Di

Diurnal

He

Herbivore

Ar

Arboreal

Al

Altricial

Te

Terrestrial

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Fl

Flocking

No

Not a migrant

N

starts with

Appearance

The Nanday parakeet is a medium-small, mostly green parrot native to South America. Its most distinguishing characteristic, for which it is named, is its black facial mask and beak. It also shows black, trailing flight feathers on its wings and has a long tail edged at the end in blue. The upper chest is bluish-green and the lower chest is a paler green. Feathers covering the thighs are red in color.

Distribution

Geography

Nanday parakeets can be found from southeast Bolivia to southwest Brazil, central Paraguay, and northern Argentina, from the region known as the Pantanal. These birds inhabit open savannah, pastures, scrub forest, and palm groves.

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Nanday parakeets are gregarious birds and are usually seen in flocks of 10-20 birds. After the nesting period, they form rather large communal roosts where all birds sleep together each night until the next breeding season. During the day, Nanday parakeets spend their time foraging in trees or on the ground. Flocks are very noisy and are usually heard before to be seen. The birds communicate to maintain contact between each other and when perched constantly utter shrill chatter. They also produce loud 'kree-ah, kree-ah' or 'kriie-kriie' calls.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Nanday parakeets are herbivores. They feed on seeds, fruit, palm nuts, berries, flowers, and buds.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
November
INCUBATION PERIOD
21-23 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
8 weeks
FEMALE NAME
hen
MALE NAME
cock
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
3-4 eggs

Nanday parakeets are monogamous and form pairs. They breed in November and during this time birds engage in mutual preening and males also perform courtship displays. Pairs usually find holes in trees to nest and strongly defend their nesting territory. Females lay 3-4 eggs and incubate them for 21 to 23 days. The chicks are born blind and helpless. They fledge 8 weeks after hatching and become reproductively mature at the age of 3 years.

Population

Population threats

Nanday parakeets are common in the wild but are often persecuted because they are considered as pests in some areas and damage crops. They also suffer from habitat loss and pet trade.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Nanday parakeet total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.

Domestication

The Nanday Parakeet is sometimes kept as a companion parrot. It is a loud, energetic bird that requires much mental and social stimulation as well as significant time outside of its cage in order to thrive. It may not be a suitable pet for small children due to its powerful beak. When kept in captivity, it may learn to talk and is also capable of learning tricks. The World Parrot Trust recommends that the Nanday Parkeet be kept in an aviary of 2–3 metres in length. The longest verified lifespan for this species is 18.7 years - however, there are also reports of Nanday Parakeets living for 30.2 years in captivity.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Nanday parakeets may fall asleep on their back with their feet sticking straight up in the air looking as if they are playing dead.
  • Nanday parakeets are very curious and intelligent birds; they are able to learn some tricks and short phrases.
  • The name 'nanday' comes from the indigenous name for the bird and the word ‘parakeet’ is translated as 'long tail'.
  • Nanday parakeet males and females look so alike that a DNA test is needed to tell them apart.
  • Nanday parakeets enjoy bathing regularly and may also clean their body by rolling in the wet grass. They also love to play in the water.
  • The body temperature of parakeets is 38.8 degrees Celsius and their heartbeat is 200 times per minute.

References

1. Nanday Parakeet on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanday_parakeet
2. Nanday Parakeet on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22685752/131917909
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/707627

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