Pyrrhura picta picta Nominate species described above. The Painted conure is an uncommon bird in Avicultural settings in the US. Of the many birds that were originally imported only a small number of them have bred consistently. There is some concern that there is danger of them becoming inbred due to the sporadic breeding of these beautiful birds. It appears that there are more male birds produced and females are therefore harder to find when setting up breeding pairs. On occasion you will find a few limited number of birds available in the pet trade. I would like to think that breeders are offering only males for pet trade. The P.p. picta originates from Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and Brazil. It can be found in the coastal and mountain zones. The picta is easily distinguished from the similar races amazonum, microtera and lucianni by the red bend of the wing. In the other sub species it is green, although there may be a few red individual feathers. The red is absent in most immature birds and gradually develops through their first year.

Pyrrhura picta amazonum The Santerum conure is a common resident of Para and North Goyaz in Brazil. They are found in small groups in the forest strata in dense trees. They have been kept in captivity but Arndt did not find any documentati on that they had been successfully bred. They are very similar to the nominate form but the blue on the forehead is very narrow and it extends to the eye ring only. There is no red on the bend of the wing and the neck feathers appear to be V-marked in coloration.

Pyrrhura picta microtera This sub species does not have a "common"name. It can be found on the southern bank of the upper Amazon River in Brazil. It is similar to the nominate form except the blue stripe on the forehead is very narrow and only extends to the front part of the naked eye ring. There is barely any blue tinge on the birds cheeks. The bend of the wing is green on this bird and it is also slightly smaller than the P.p. picta. Compared to the sub species amazonum and lucianii the neck and upper breast feather base appears more dark brown. Very little information can be found on this sub species.

Pyrrhura picta lucianii The Prince Lucian' s Conure is found in northwestern Brazil, northeastern Peru, Ecuador, south to Bolivia, and Peru. It also is similar to the nominate form except there is barely any blue tinge on the forehead. Some birds may show a red on the forehead, the frontal part of the crown and the area around the eyes. There is less red on the belly and the eye rin g is whitish. There is very little information published about this bird. Species were brought into the Zoological Gardens of Hamburg, Germany in 1880. It is possible that they were first bred in 1866 in France but there is definite documentation for successful breeding in Canada in 1960. It is considered extremely rare.

Pyrrhura picta roseifrons The Rose-headed Conure is found in northwestern Brazil and eastern Peru. The red feathers on the head extends from the cheeks, forehead and back to the nape. The red coloring increases with maturity. The edges of the feathers on the neck and breast often have a pink tinge to them. The maroon on the belly is more deeper in color and more extensive. Most birds will have red feathers on the bend of the wings and the edge of the wings. The naked eye ring is whitish in color. Young Rose-headed Conures will have more red on the head than a mature lucianii. The first captive breeding was probably done in 1980 in Sao Paulo.

Pyrrhura picta subandina The Subandina Conure in habits the forest of the Sinu` River in northwest Columbia. The blue stripe on the forehead is narrow and the cheeks are a bluish green. The lores are brown-red and the ear coverts are yellowish brown. It has dirty brown-blue feathers with a light gray-brown edge on the nape, neck and upper breast. The naked eye ring is whitish and the iris in yellowish brown. It is unknown whether this race has ever been exported. Virtually nothing is known about the habitats and breeding of this conure.

Pyrrhura picta caeruleiceps This sub species is infrequently found in forests of the tropical zone in northern Colombia. It is similar to the nominate form but the forehead and lores are red. The cheeks fade into a dark red-brown. The crown is blue and the eye ring is whitish. The ear coverts are gray-white. The neck and breast feathers are a dirty brown-blue with a wide gray to dull brown edge. Little is known about the habits and breeding of this bird or whether it has been exported.

Forshaw mentions only 7 subspecies. Arndt mentions two more.

Pyrrhura picta pantchenkoi The Pantchenko's Conure is another rare bird that little is known about its habits and breeding, It is found in the Perija` mountains in Venezuela. It's coloring is exactly as in the subandina except the crown is blackish and the feathers have a bluish tint. The gray breast feathers do not have the clear edge markings. The bend of the wing and the area around the eyes are red. It also has a larger belly spot. There is some rumor that a few of these birds were imported in the 1970's and were in the possession of a breeder in Florida.

Pyrrhura picta eisenmanni The Eisenmanni Conure is found in the rain forests of the mountain regions of west-central Panama. The crown is brow n and has a tinge of blue on the forehead and the lores. The cheeks are dark red and appear to be more extensive that the other sub species. The breast is a dirty brown-blue and the bib feathers have a whitish brown edge without the V-markings that appears on the other picta. The bend of the wing is green. It also has the larger dark red-brown belly spot. There is no information available on breeding or habits as it is a recently discovered sub species.

Text by Judith Robben, edited by Brent Andrus.