By Tariq Abou-Zahr, BVSc MRCVS

The March 2014 issue of Parrots magazine saw me introduce one of my favourite psittacine species, the Blue-throated Conure. Going by the scientific name, Pyrrhura cruentata, these colourful, relatively quiet little parrots are the largest member of their genus and listed under CITES appendix 1 due to their vulnerability as a result of ongoing habitat loss in Brazil. The previous article served as an introduction to the species and gave some information about the husbandry protocols I used with the birds at the time of writing.  Since that article, I have been lucky enough to successfully breed the species.  This article will focus more on the breeding process from before mating, until the sale of the offspring. An undemanding species to breed and in heavy demand in aviculture (I had lots of people contacting me looking to buy chicks), it is a mystery to me why these birds are not more popular.

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