Jenday Conure

Jenday Conure

The jandaya parakeet or jenday conure (Aratinga jandaya) is a small Neotropical parrot with green wings and tail, reddish-orange body, yellow head and neck, orange cheeks and black bill native to wooded habitats in northeastern Brazil. It is a member of the Aratinga solstitialis complex of parakeets very closely related to, and possibly subspecies of sun parakeet.

The bird has a wide range but is locally rare in the wild; they are common in aviculture where they are known as "jenday conures". 

The jandaya parakeet is a small long-tailed parakeet with reddish orange body, green wings, vent and tail, yellow head, neck, and shoulders, orange cheeks, black bill, whitish periophthalmic ring and dark eyes. The ends of the tail feathers are tinged in blue. It measures 30 cm (12 in) in length and weighs 125-140gm

The jandaya parakeet has a very loud, shrill call.

The first description of a bird called "jendaya" was by German naturalist, Georg Marcgraf, during his 1638 expedition through Dutch Brazil.  It was first classified by German naturalist Johann Gmelin as Psittacus jandaya in his Systema Naturae, 1788, based on Psittacula brasiliensis lutea of Brisson,1760; "jandaya" of Ray,1676; and "yellow-headed parrot" of Latham, 1781. In 1916, American ornithologist Robert Ridgway reclassified the 21-22 species of neotropical parakeets in genus Conurus into four genera, placing jandaya into the genus Aratinga.

The specific name was derived from: Aratinga: "bright macaw" from Ará - Old Tupi, big noisy bird (macaw) + tinga - Old Tupi, bright. jandaya(originally jandaia): Old Tupi, small parrot (conure). Jandaya is a member of the Aratinga solstitialis complex of parakeets very closely related to, and possibly subspecies of, the sun parakeet in genus Aratinga of smaller parakeets, one of numerous genera of New World long-tailed parrots in tribe Arini, which also includes the Central and South American macaws. Tribe Arini together with the Amazonian parrots and a few miscellaneous genera make up subfamily Arinae of Neotropical parrots in family Psittacidae of true parrots.

Ornithologist Thomas Arndt lists this bird as a subspecies of golden-capped parakeet.

The taxonomy of this and related species and genera has been problematical; more information may be found under Aratinga and Sun conure#Taxonomy.

Based on size, morphology and plumage, this species is believed to be a close living relative of the extinct Carolina parakeet, possibly the closest, though that has not been confirmed by molecular phylogenetics which found the nanday parakeet to be the Carolina parakeet's closest living relative among the species tested. The plumage of this bird, is very close to that of the Carolina's and can be distinguished from the Carolina parakeet by having a yellow neck and shoulders, and a black beak instead of a buff-colored beak as the Carolina parakeet has.

An earlier molecular study found jandaya's closest relative to be the golden parakeet.