Update: Arizona Seed Crackers Society Halfmoon Conure Breeding Consortium

Abstract

AFA has awarded a grant of
$2000.00 to the ASCS Halfmoon
Breeding Consortium to obtain additional,
unrelated breeding stock and
to help cover costs for using the
SPARKS computer program. Thus far,
one bird has been purchased at a cost
of $65.00 and the SPARKS user fee of
$200.00 per year will be paid to ISIS
(International Species Identification
System) in May when it becomes due.
Prior to obtaining the AFA grant, the
Consortium has raised funds and
spent approximately $3000.00 on
birds and the initial ISIS fee of $250.00.
Presently the Consortium owns five
pairs of A.c. clarae and has four
singles paired with privately-owned
mates. Additionally, there are three
pairs privately held but registered in
the studbook. These birds are all
paired to achieve maximum genetic
diversity, but one privately held pair is
almost over-represented in the population
and some of the rest of the population
consists of siblings. The AFA
grant will allow purchase of additional,
unrelated stock. In addition to
the A.c. clarae population, the consortium
also owns two surplus males
of the A.c. eburnirostrum sub-species. 

Identification of Sub-species
1. Aratinga caniculan·s canicularis
-The nominate species has a large ish
orange area on the forehead and
strongly resembles a Peach-fronted
Conure except for beak coloration.
A.c. canicularis has horn colored
mandibles, both upper and lower.
2. Aratinga canicularis eburnirostrum
-Similar in appearance to A.c.
canicularis overall, the most obvious
difference is beak coloration. The
lower mandible has a large dark spot
on each side, at first glance this
subspecies appears to have a horn
colored upper and blackish lower
mandible. Closer examination reveals
variable horn colored areas on the
lower mandible, typically a thin
"stripe" right down the center. The
orange on the forehead extends to
and comes in contact with the bare
eye ring.
3. Aratinga canicularis claraeSimilar
to A.c. eburnirostrum but with
a more restricted orange area on the
forehead. Beak coloration is a horn
colored upper mandible while the
lower mandible is horn colored with a
large black spot on each side as in A.c.
eburnirostrum. Forshaw describes the
markings on the lower mandible as
being more blackish in A.c. clarae
and more brownish-black in A.c.
eburnirostrum, but specimens seen
by ASCS haven't shown any discernible
difference between the subspecies
in terms of beak coloration.
The orange on the forehead is variable
but definitely more restricted than in
A.c. canicularis or A.c. eburnirostrum.
At one extreme the orange on
the forehead may be restricted to two
or three feathers, at the other extreme
the orange will extend almost, but not
quite, into contact with the eye ring. In
general terms, the orange area on the
foreheads of A.c. canicularis and A.c.
eburnirostrum are much like the forehead
markings of the Peach-fronted
Conure, whereas the orange marking
of A. c. clarae does not come into contact
with the eye ring and usually is
noticeably smaller overall.
Appearance is quite similar in all
three sub-species, a close look for distinguishing
features is required to distinguish
among them. Even with the 

close similarity in appearance, the
ASCS Halfmoon Consortium will not
knowingly hybridize between the
subspecies since we haven't done
field studies and do not know if there
are behavioral differences in wild
populations. A.c. clarae in the wild is
confined to western Mexico, in an
area Forshaw describes as "from Sinaloa
south to Colima and inland to
western Durango and central Michoacan."
Since Mexico halted exploration
in 1980, this species hasn't been legal
in international trade for over a
decade. Overwhelmingly common in
the United States in the late 1970s,
today they could be described as
uncommon, but available. Generally
speaking, breeders have devoted their
efforts and resources to breeding
more financially lucrative species. As
a result, the population in captivity in
the United States has declined sharply.
Anecdotal sampling of breeders in
Arizona and Florida suggest the
species is less prolific than some other
conures, with one or two clutches per
year typical. Clutch size frequently is
three or four, at times only one or two.
Breeding appears to be definitely
seasonal, from early March until
mid-May.

PDF