Nanday Conure
The black-hooded comedian — clever, talkative, and extremely loud
Origin
South-central South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, northern Argentina)
Lifespan
15-20 years
With proper nutrition & care
Size
11-12 inches (28-30.5 cm)
140 g (4.9 oz)
Quick Facts
| Origin | South-central South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, northern Argentina) |
|---|---|
| Size | 11-12 inches (28-30.5 cm) |
| Weight | 140 g (4.9 oz) |
| Lifespan | 15-20 years |
| Care level | Intermediate |
| Noise level | Very loud. Raspy, crow-like contact call that carries far. Not apartment-suitable. |
| Talking ability | Excellent for a conure. Many learn 20 or more clear words and mimic household sounds accurately. |
| Beginner-friendly | 4/10 |
The Bird
Nanday Conure at a Glance
The Nanday Conure, also called the Black-hooded Parakeet, is one of the most distinctive medium conures in the trade. Black head and bib, green body, blue chest wash, dusky blue flight feathers, and red feather pants on the legs — at 11 to 12 inches and 140 grams it has a look unlike anything else in the conure family. In South Florida, Nandays are also a feral species; established flocks live around the Gulf coast and parts of Miami-Dade, which tells you something about how adaptable and tough this bird is.
Behaviourally, Nandays are clever, outgoing, and unmistakably comedic. They are arguably the best talkers in the conure family — many develop genuinely clear vocabularies of 20 or more words, and a few rival small Amazons for clarity. Combined with strong mimicry of household sounds, a Nanday in a chatty mood is constant entertainment.
The trade-off is volume and edge. Nandays have a loud, raspy, almost crow-like call that grates on people unused to it, and they are known as one of the more nippy conure species when handling is inconsistent. They are not a beginner bird and not an apartment bird. For someone who wants an interactive, talking medium parrot in a single-family home, with the patience to set firm rules and stick to them, the Nanday is one of the most rewarding birds Kalyn knows.
Nandays are intelligent, social, and dramatically expressive. They are also among the most opinionated conures — a Nanday tells you when it is annoyed, hungry, jealous, or bored, and the message is rarely subtle. Owners who enjoy that kind of personality love the species. People who want a quiet, deferential bird find Nandays exhausting.
The nippy reputation is real and deserved. Nandays bite harder and more readily than most conures their size, especially adolescents going through their first hormonal year and birds that have been inconsistently handled. The fix is steady boundaries: clear step-up cues from day one, no chasing or rewarding biting with reactions, multiple handlers from young, and predictable daily routines. A well-handled Nanday is no nippier than any other conure. A spoiled or under-trained one will draw blood.
Long-term, expect a strong bond with the primary caregiver and a cooperative relationship with the rest of the family if everyone handles the bird from young. Nandays are physically affectionate but on their terms — they will solicit head scratches and shoulder time when they want it and walk away when they do not. Their lifespan of 15 to 20 years is shorter than most medium conures, but the time they give you is intense.
Vocalization & Talking
Nandays are very loud, with a distinctive raspy, almost crow-like quality to the call that some people find more grating than the high-pitched scream of a Sun or Jenday. The contact call carries through walls and across yards. Expect sustained vocalisations at dawn and dusk, plus short outbursts triggered by passing dogs, the doorbell, household arguments, or a person walking past the cage without acknowledging the bird.
Like most conures, Nandays are not constant screamers when their needs are met. A bird with adequate enrichment, daily out-of-cage time, and predictable interaction stays quiet for long stretches and chatters in a softer voice while playing. Reinforcing screams by responding to them is the fastest way to create a chronically loud bird.
On talking, Nandays are at the top of the conure family. Many learn 20 to 30 words with surprisingly clear pronunciation, mimic environmental sounds with high accuracy, and use words contextually — naming food when they want it, calling people by name. Daily short training sessions from young age produce excellent results. If a talking bird is what you want and you can handle the noise, a Nanday delivers more than most species in this size class.
Diet
Build the daily diet around a high-quality pellet — Harrison's, TOPs, Roudybush, or Zupreem Natural — at 60 to 70 percent of intake. Nandays accept pellets readily when introduced from young. Birds raised on seed mixes can be converted but it takes patience over several weeks. Pellets are non-negotiable for long-term health; an all-seed Nanday faces fatty liver disease and vitamin A deficiency that significantly shorten lifespan.
Fresh vegetables should make up 20 to 25 percent of daily intake. The high-value foods are dark leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard, romaine — never iceberg), sweet potato, butternut squash, bell pepper of any colour, broccoli, carrot, and cooked legumes. Rotate the lineup weekly to keep the bird interested and prevent it from locking onto one favourite. Nandays are enthusiastic foragers and engage strongly with skewers, foraging boxes, and chop bowls.
Fresh fruit makes up roughly 5 to 10 percent of the diet, in small portions because of sugar. Berries, apple without seeds, papaya, and melon are good. Limit grapes and bananas. Nuts and seeds work as training treats only — one almond or sunflower seed per repetition of a desired behaviour, never as a free-feed. Toxic to all parrots: avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic, salt, and anything cooked on non-stick cookware.
Health & Lifespan
A Nanday Conure with proper care typically lives 15 to 20 years — shorter than most medium conures, which is something to know upfront. Establish a relationship with a board-certified avian vet via the Association of Avian Veterinarians directory in the first month and schedule annual wellness exams with baseline bloodwork every two to three years.
The two health issues Kalyn watches for in Nandays are feather plucking, which is almost always behavioural and tied to boredom, isolation, or hormonal frustration during breeding season; and fatty liver disease, which is dietary and creeps in on seed-based diets or households that overshare human food. Both are preventable with good husbandry: multi-hour daily engagement, rotating enrichment, a proper pelleted diet, and weekly weight checks on a kitchen scale to catch trouble early. Nandays mask illness as well as any parrot, so the scale is your most reliable warning system.
Housing
Minimum cage dimensions for a Nanday Conure are 24"W x 24"D x 36"H with bar spacing of 5/8 to 3/4 inch. Bigger is always better. A 30"W x 24"D x 38"H flight cage is a stronger long-term home for a single bird kept indoors full time. Nandays are physically active climbers and chewers — they need horizontal room to move, not just vertical.
Equip the cage with three or four perches at varying diameters and textures. Natural manzanita branches, rope perches, and a flat platform perch all support foot health better than uniform dowels. Stock four to six rotating toys at any time, with shredding material (palm, balsa, paper, soft pine), foot toys, and at least one foraging puzzle. Nandays have powerful beaks for their size and destroy toys quickly, so build a rotation that keeps fresh items coming. Place the cage in a social room — living room or den — well away from the kitchen, because non-stick cookware fumes are acutely fatal to all parrots.
Plan on three to four hours of out-of-cage time daily. A play stand near the family room works better than constant shoulder riding, and supervised free flight in a bird-proofed room keeps the bird physically tired and mentally settled. Bird-proof carefully: cords, ceiling fans, open windows, toxic plants, and any pet that views birds as prey.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are Nanday Conures good talkers?
Yes — among the best in the conure family. Many Nandays develop clear vocabularies of 20 to 30 words and mimic household sounds with surprising accuracy. Daily short training sessions from a young age produce the best results. They are noticeably better talkers than Sun, Jenday, or Green-Cheek conures.
- Why are Nanday Conures considered nippy?
Nandays bite harder and more readily than most conures their size, particularly during adolescence and in birds that have been inconsistently handled. The species is opinionated and tests boundaries. Steady step-up training, clear rules, multiple handlers from young, and not rewarding biting with reactions produces a well-mannered bird. Inconsistent handling produces a confirmed biter.
- Can I keep a Nanday in an apartment?
Kalyn would not recommend it. The Nanday's raspy contact call is loud and carries through walls. Even well-socialised birds vocalise heavily at dawn and dusk. They do best in a single-family home with reasonable buffer space and bird-tolerant household members.
- Why are there feral Nanday Conures in Florida?
Established feral flocks of Nandays live around parts of the Gulf coast and southeast Florida, descended from escaped or released pet birds over the past several decades. The species is highly adaptable and breeds successfully in subtropical climates. Local sightings are not unusual in South Florida.
- What is the lifespan of a Nanday Conure?
With proper diet and care, a Nanday Conure typically lives 15 to 20 years. That is shorter than most other medium conures, so factor it into your decision. Lifespan drops further on seed-only diets because of fatty liver disease and vitamin A deficiency.