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The black-capped conure is an exotic-looking bird with a green body and a brown-black “cap” on its head. Like other parrots, they are social animals that love spending time with their owners. They can live up to 30 years and make excellent pets for the right owners. Keep reading our care guide to learn whether a black-capped conure is suitable for you and your family.
Species Overview
| Common Names: | Black-capped parakeet, rock conure |
| Scientific Name: | Pyrrhura rupicola |
| Adult Size: | 10 inches long, weighing up to 2.5 ounces |
| Life Expectancy: | 10-30 years |
Origin and History
The black-capped conure, also known as the black-capped parakeet or rock conure, is a species of parrot native to South America. They are most commonly found in Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil, where they have a natural habitat in the humid forests of the Amazon Basin. Black-capped conures in the wild can live anywhere from the Amazonian lowlands to the tops of the Andes mountains and are capable of flying as high as 6,000 feet.
Due to the continued deforestation of the Amazon, wild black-capped conures must seek refuge at higher elevations. The destruction of their natural habitat has resulted in the species being considered “near threatened” with extinction.
Temperament
Overall, the black-capped conure is a playful and social animal that makes for a great pet. If you decide to purchase one, you should keep in mind that they require a lot more attention than you might expect. Once they become comfortable with you, they will want to interact and play with you daily. Over time, you will likely notice that your black-capped conure is very comfortable around you and other family members, though it might take some time to warm up to new people, such as house guests.
In addition to social interaction, your conure needs mental stimulation. The black-capped conure is a very intelligent animal that can easily become bored. One way to ensure your black-capped conure gets the stimulation required is to provide plenty of toys. Conures and other parrots often chew on bark and other objects in the wild, and your bird will also be interested in chewing anything it has access to—even the bars of its cage.
Providing your black-capped conure with a wooden toy made for birds will prevent it from chewing on other things and keep it busy. You should also consider placing your bird’s cage in a busy area of the house. That way, your bird will be stimulated and less likely to feel lonely.
- Highly intelligent, social birds
- Hardy and healthy birds with few major health problems
- Less noisy than other parrot breeds
- Require a lot of exercise and interaction time
- Can be expensive—up to $600
Speech & Vocalizations
While conures and other parrots are infamous for being noisy creatures, the black-capped conure is a relatively quiet bird. They make calls in the morning and the evening—known as contact calls—but otherwise, they aren’t known for being very talkative. However, if you are looking for a parrot that is capable of learning words, the black-capped conure may not be the bird for you. With diligent training, they can learn a few phrases and words, but they are nowhere near as proficient at learning to talk as other parrots.
Black-Capped Conure Colors and Markings
The black-capped conure is named after the brownish-black coloration that looks like a “cap” on top of its head. One variation of this species is the yellow-sided black-capped conure that has yellow on its neck and head. Otherwise, they are almost entirely green with tinges of red under their upper wings.
The abdomen is also usually green but with a blue undertone. The feathers under their tails are gray, along with their beak, legs, and feet. Unlike other birds, there is no distinguishable difference in coloration between male and female black-capped conures. In order to figure out the sex of your black-capped conure, you should bring it to your veterinarian.
Caring for the Black-Capped Conure
The black-capped conure is a relatively small bird that doesn’t require a very large cage. However, you should ensure the cage is 18 inches wide and 2 feet high, at minimum. Consider whether or not you will be able to take your bird out of its cage for frequent and relatively long exercise breaks. If you don’t have the time to take your bird out of its cage for 2 or more hours of supervised activity, you should consider investing in a larger cage that will give your black-capped conure plenty of room to fly around.
If you have room, you should consider buying your bird an aviary, which is a type of enclosure with more space than a birdcage. Make sure your bird’s cage or aviary has plenty of perches and chew toys. You should always keep your bird’s food and water bowls relatively high to prevent feces from contaminating them. Most bird dishes attach to the side of your bird’s cage easily.
Black-capped conures are naturally social creatures. In the wild, they live in groups of around 30. Therefore, as stated, you must engage in plenty of activity and social interaction with your black-capped conure. One easy way to ensure your bird feels stimulated and doesn’t feel lonely is to place its birdcage in a busy area of the house, such as your living room. Even when you aren’t directly interacting with your black-capped conure, being in the center of activity will help keep your bird from feeling lonely.
Common Health Problems
Luckily, the black-capped conure is a relatively healthy bird with very few common health problems. However, they may be prone to certain health problems that can affect all avian species. Below, we have outlined some of the issues you should look out for to be sure your black-capped conure stays healthy.
- Feather picking: Feather picking is when a bird plucks out its feathers, often as a result of stress, boredom, poor nutrition, and other medical issues. Besides the aesthetics of this issue, feather plucking can decrease a bird’s ability to stay dry and warm and can sometimes lead to skin infections.
- Proventricular dilatation disease: Proventricular dilatation disease, or PDD, is a viral avian disease that affects a bird’s nervous and digestive systems.
- Psittacosis bacterial infection: Psittacosis is a bacteria that often affects birds. If left untreated, it can lead to pneumonia.
Diet and Nutrition
Wild birds typically eat a diet comprised of nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, and vegetables. Birds in captivity usually eat a pelleted diet formulated to meet their nutritional needs. In addition to pellets, you should provide nutritious treats like fruits, lightly cooked veggies, bird seed, and protein such as chicken and hard-boiled eggs. When looking for bird treats in stores, check the ingredients list to ensure that the treat is primarily made up of whole foods and does not contain any artificial flavors or preservatives.
Exercise
The black-capped conure needs a relatively large amount of exercise to remain healthy. You should plan on giving your bird at least 2 hours outside of its cage per day. Be mindful of where you let your bird play; as mentioned, black-capped conures and other birds love to chew, so if you don’t want your furniture to be ruined, keep your bird away from it. If you have the space, you can purchase “playgrounds” and play gyms made for birds that will give your black-capped conure a place to explore that is safe and won’t ruin your couch.
Where to Adopt or Buy a Black-Capped Conure
If you’ve decided the black-capped conure is right for you, the next step is finding one. One of the first steps you can take is to check around at local pet shelters to see if they have a black-capped conure. You can also try a service such as PetFinder, which will search your area for specific breeds and often includes animals in shelters.
If you don’t have any luck finding a black-capped conure at a local shelter, you will need to look for a breeder, as you are unlikely to see one at a pet store. Be sure to ask your breeder plenty of questions to vet them. Any good breeder will be willing to tell you how long they have been a breeder and information about your bird’s health history, and some may even let you tour their breeding facilities. You can expect to pay between $400-$600 for a black-capped conure.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the black-capped conure can be a wonderful family pet for many types of homes. When considering whether or not you want to buy or adopt one of these birds, ask yourself the following questions: Do you have time to give your conure the exercise and social interaction it needs? Do you have space in your home for an adequate birdcage or aviary? If the answer to these questions is yes, the black-capped conure could be the pet for you!
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Featured Image Credit: UniqSnaps, Shutterstock
