SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Nandayus nenday

The nanday is one of the loudest conures originating in South America, mostly in parts surrounding Brazil. If acclimatized, the nanday can withstanding temperatures below freezing.

It will live in large groups, but pairs will stay close together to roost and nest. Like other parrots, its nest is in the cavity of a tree where both parents partake in raising the young. The nanday will also nest in palms and occasionally in thick fence posts during the summer months where it will lay three to five eggs in a two-to-three-day interval. The hen starts incubating when the third egg is laid. The young birds become independent around 8-11 weeks. Sometimes the first one or two nests have clear eggs. Scratching each other’s head is a way of bonding for both the parents and the young.

The nanday conure will fly in groups of 6 to 40 birds, often observed in flocks of up to 300 birds. It’s not a shy bird and will associate with Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus). Nanday conures will also use its plumage as camouflage. If it becomes alarmed the conure will fly up screeching and land on a nearby bush or tree.