Maroon Bellied Conure     The Pyrhurra group - The Pyrhurras are small (8-11 inch) birds. They're quiet, and the more common ones are often quite fairly priced in the $100 to $400 dollar range. Usually, the only species you'll encounter for sale are maroon bellies and greencheeck conures. Both are 10", and look quite similar, being mainly green. If you get stuck, which isn't hard to do, you can easily tell the two apart by the color of the tail. In Maroon-bellies, only the underside of the tail is maroon. In Green-cheeks, the entire thing is that dark maroon color. Greencheeks also have a darker, almost black, head. They're sweet little pets who act quite a bit larger than they are. Some other Pyrhurra species are Painteds, Pearlies, Blackcaps, Souances, and White Ears, along with the endangered blue throated, which is the largest of the Pyrhurras at 11". Some are rarer than others, but none come close to the popularity of Maroon-bellies and Green-cheeks. There's a Fallow mutation of the Greencheek conure. It's quite beautiful, and fairly inexpensive.      Personality: Conures are active, playful, bold, and affectionate. One minute they'll be acting the clown, climbing on their toys and screaching in mock anger, the next minute they'll be curled next to you, begging for a scratch. Hand-fed conures are real sweethearts, always begging for attention. They're great at learning tricks; many will lie on their back and "play dead", and hanging upside-down from a finger is an easy one. Some conures are are one-person birds, others more out-going. Regardless, he'll probably pick a favorite person, and they'll be some liberties he'll allow only that person. They can be moody, but in a good way. Some conures can be nippy, especially with people they don't know, but a little careful training can rid most of the problem. Overall, conures are affectionate clowns who are a whole lot of fun to own.      Pyrrhura Conures make excellent pets for anyone who is interested in an outgoing, lovable, and intelligent bird. Many people have the impression that Pyrrhura's are "nippy", and they can be if not given proper guidance and training when they are young. They love to chew on things, and seem especially drawn to chew on the skin of their owners. When young they don't understand the power of those sharp little beaks, but they can be trained not to bite, or to curb the bite to painless or at least less painful levels. Proper training in this area becomes especially important as they reach sexual maturity      Pyrrhura's bond strongly with their human families but unlike some parrot species they are not "one person" birds. While they will generally pick one family member as chosen "mate" as they reach maturity, they easily bond nearly as close with all members of their human "flock", and normally only show characteristic aggressive/possessive behaviors during mating season. These aggressive tendencies can also be curbed with proper training and understanding. Young birds should be exposed to people outside their home family to ensure they are well socialized and accepting of "strangers". A bird unused to "strangers" may begin "attacking" visitors as he/she reaches sexual maturity in an attempt to "drive away the competition".