Jenday Conure

The Jenday Conure, also known as the Jandaya Parakeet, is native to northeastern Brazil, where it inhabits forest edge, palm groves, and scrubland. It is closely related to the Sun Conure but retains green upperparts even as an adult, differing from its more uniformly golden relative and giving it a distinctive two-toned appearance.

The head, neck, and upper breast are golden-yellow, shading into orange across the belly and lower underparts, while the back, wings, and mantle remain green, creating a clear contrast between the colorful front and green back not seen in the more uniformly yellow-orange Sun Conure. Flight feathers show a blue tinge along the green wing. The tail is moderately long and tapered, olive-green with a bluish tip. This combination of a golden-orange front with a solidly green back is a reliable way to separate this species from other similarly sized Aratinga conures.

Sexes are alike in plumage, without reliable visual differences between males and females. Juveniles are duller and show more green intermixed on the head and breast, with the adult golden-yellow and orange coloration developing over the first year or so through successive molts.

This species occupies forest edge, palm groves, and scrubland within northeastern Brazil, a relatively restricted range. It is largely non-migratory, with flocks moving locally in response to fruiting trees and palm seed availability.

Jenday Conures feed on fruit, seeds, blossoms, and palm nuts, foraging in flocks, sometimes alongside other parakeet species. Nests are placed in tree cavities, including palm trunks. Calls include loud, sharp screeching and chattering notes typical of Aratinga conures, given during flight and while foraging.