Abstract
Many years ago, (almost too far to
remember, about 15 years or so) I
purchased a beautiful, slightly unusually
colored White-eyed Comu·e.
When I first examined this bird I
knew it was far different from the
''normal" species of White-eyed Conures
I was so used to seeing. The
ones that are imported here to
the U.S. are usually all green with just
bits of scattered red feathers on their
head and neck. Red is found on the
carpal edge of the wings, with yellow
on the greater under-wing coverts
(which can only be seen if the wing is
extended). The beak is a horn color,
feet greyish and eye ring white. The
length of this bird is about 14 inches.
What made this particular conure so
different was the facial cheek area
was solid red, as well as the overall
bird seemed to be slightly larger than
other White-eyed Conures. Going by
the pelvic bones and personal
appraisal, I guessed that this pretty
bird was a hen. But, I thought it still
best to have her surgically sexed to
have my suspicions confirmed. As it
turned out, the bird was a hen. I soon
purchased another White-eyed Conure,
a male, as a mate for my pretty
hen. Upon putting the two together
it became even more obvious that
they were two very different birds.
She was a little larger in comparison
in body and head. Her color was also
very different as her green was a bit
darker, along with her red cheek
markings which made her even more
different. I decided this was not a
proper match, so I started to do
research for information on this species.
Back then, not much literature
could be found on these birds. I did
discover that she was a White-eyed
Conure, but of a different sub-species
than is normally imported. I found
that she was an Aratinga leucopthalmus
callogenys. This information at
the time was found in Parrots of the
World by Joseph Forshaw. In later
years, a photo and more information
was published on this sub-species in
Thomas Arndt's book Encyclopedia
of Conures- 171e Aratingas.