The Finsch's Conure (Aratinga Finschi) measuring 11 inches (28 cm) is one of the smaller conures. The body plumage of the mature Finsch's Conure is a dark green with yellowish-green feathering on the lower breast and abdomen. Isolated red feathers may be found on the body of some birds.

There are brilliant red feathers that roughly form a triangular shape from above the cere , the red does not extend to eye ring. The ventral coverts and minor ventral wing coverts are red. The major ventral wing coverts are yellow. Under tail, primary and secondary under wing feathers are a yellowish-olive green. The upper and lower beak is horn-colored. The iris is light orange to red orange. The feet are flesh colored to gray.

There are no recognized sub-species. Immature Finsch's exhibit no red on forehead. Occasional light red feathering may appear on under wing coverts. The iris is dark brown to black.

At approximately a year of age subtle changes in under wing coloration will begin to appear, the head may remain green or have just a few red feathers that look like tiny dots over the cere. At two years of age some still do not have their full adult coloration. The older they get, the more vivid and beautiful they become.

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Finsch's conures were still being imported into the United States until the early 1980's and have not been imported since. Their habitat at that time was considered to be Southern Nicaragua southward to Panama,with the exception of western Costa Rica.

According to Kevin Sharp who has traveled to Costa Rica just this past year (1997), the Finsch's conure is becoming more common in Costa Rica as land is cleared and are much more common on the Caribbean side and in the central plateau. They have even been observed on the Pacific side in the extreme south and occasionally in the Guanacaste region (in the northwest). 

The varied Costa Rican habitat of the Finsch's Conure is pictured above and below.

The Finsch's conure is listed in the "Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica." One of the authors of this guide is Alexander Skutch, an American living in Costa Rica who is one of the foremost ornithologists working in Latin America. He is well known in his field for not collecting specimens (killing the birds) to find out what they've eaten. Instead, Mr. Skutch maintains that this information can be obtained by observing their behavior.

Nesting season for Finsch's conures in the wild is toward the end of the dry season/beginning of the wet season which occurs in April or May. The guide gives nesting sights as hollow trees and limbs, and the hollows in the broken off tops of palms. The guide also claims they have been known to burrow into the base of large epiphytes (bromeliads).

"Whitney" import Adult Finsch's Conure
(Aratinga Finschi)

If you would be interested in getting involved in the rewarding career of raising Finsch's Conures please contact me.