Breeding the White--eyed Conure

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.