How to Buy a Healthy Sun Conure in the United States

What is a sun conure like to live with?

Sun conures come from a small area of northeastern South America: the World Parrot Trust gives northeastern Roraima in northern Brazil and western Guyana. PetMD describes a bold, playful bird that needs daily attention and exercise.

A sun conure is a commitment of decades, and it will expect you to be part of its flock every day.

How loud is a sun conure, and does it suit your home?

Noise is the first thing to weigh. The Merck Veterinary Manual says the larger Aratinga conures, the group that includes the sun, have a piercing voice when they scream, while it calls Pyrrhura conures such as the green-cheeked relatively quiet. WebMD describes the sun conure's call as a grating, shrill screech repeated three to six times, and calls it extremely vocal.

• Neighbors: PetMD warns that sun conures may not make the best companions for noise-sensitive owners, and Foster Parrots, a Rhode Island sanctuary, will not place highly vocal parrots with renters or people who share walls.
• Attention: PetMD says birds are noisier when they lack attention and exercise, and that bored birds can start screaming and feather-plucking.
• Rehoming risk: WebMD notes that some people take on a sun conure for its colors and then rehome it because they cannot cope with the constant loud noise.

Visit more than once and at different times of day, and check your lease or HOA rules first. If you need a quieter bird, consider a Pyrrhura conure instead.

How can you tell a young sun conure from a jenday?

A baby sun conure does not look like the photos of adults. PetMD says juveniles have olive-green feathers that turn yellow and orange at around 6 months, with full color within about 2 years; WebMD puts full adult color at 18 months to 2 years. The World Parrot Trust describes juveniles with green on the crown and green upper back and shoulders with slight yellow edges.

• Jenday look-alike: an adult jenday conure has a yellow-orange head on a green back and wings (World Parrot Trust), much like a young sun. Ask for the hatch date and photos of both parents.
• Red factor: The Vet Desk describes red-factor sun conures as having a red wash where a normal sun is yellow, and says they can cost as much as $1,500.
• Sexing: PetMD says males and females are hard to tell apart without blood testing, so ask for a DNA certificate.

If a seller cannot name both parents' species, treat the label as a guess.

Is it legal to buy a sun conure if the species is endangered?

• IUCN Endangered: the World Parrot Trust says trapping for export nearly wiped out the species in Guyana and that capture for trade continues; in Brazil numbers fell 50 to 79 percent over three generations. The Red List is a conservation assessment, not a law, and the sun conure does not appear on the federal Endangered Species Act lists (50 CFR 17.11).
• CITES Appendix II: this controls trade between countries. A sale between two US residents needs no CITES papers, but an export or import does.
• Imports: the Wild Bird Conservation Act has barred most imports of CITES-listed birds since 1993, so a sun conure sold in the US should be bred here, ideally wearing a closed band.
• State and local rules: rules on keeping, breeding and noise vary, so check with your state wildlife or agriculture agency and your city.

Where can you find sun conures for sale, and what should you ask?

A breeder who lets you visit and shows you the parents is the safest source. On PetzLover you can browse sun conures for sale, filter by location, save a search and message the seller before you visit.

• When did the chick hatch, and is it fully weaned?
• What is the closed band number, and is there a microchip?
• Can I see the DNA sexing certificate and the avian vet report?
• Are both parents sun conures, and is the color normal or red factor?
• Can I hear it call before I pay?
• Will you give a written health guarantee and a signed bill of sale?

Careful sellers follow how to sell sun conures responsibly. An adult may suit you better: see how to adopt a sun conure or how to take in a rehomed sun conure.

How much does a sun conure cost?

• Normal sun conure: often $500 to $700 (The Vet Desk, October 2025).
• Red factor: as high as $1,500 (The Vet Desk).
• Conures in general: typically $200 to $3,000 or more from breeders, and $25 to $1,000 or more to adopt (The Vet Desk, January 2026); Phoenix Landing charges $300 for a conure.
• Set-up: typically $260 to $1,600 or more, including a cage at $70 to $1,000.
• First avian vet check: typically $50 to $200 before tests.

PetMD advises a habitat at least 30 inches wide and 30 inches deep, and the largest you can fit, so budget for a bigger cage than a small conure needs.

How do you check a sun conure's health and avoid scams?

VCA Animal Hospitals advises an avian vet exam within the first 7 days; the Association of Avian Veterinarians has a Find-a-Vet search. Keep a new bird away from your other birds until it is cleared.

• Diseases: PetMD lists Pacheco's disease, polyomavirus, proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), chlamydiosis and heavy metal or Teflon poisoning among common sun conure illnesses. The CDC warns that birds can carry psittacosis without looking sick.
• Feathers: The Vet Desk says sun conures are prone to feather picking, often from too little attention; look for bare patches.
• Diet: PetMD advises pellets as at least 60 to 70 percent of the diet, and no avocado, fruit pits, onion, garlic, chocolate, caffeine or alcohol.
• Scams: the Better Business Bureau warns about fake bird sellers who take a payment and then demand more for shipping or crates. Refuse wire transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrency; the FTC advises paying by credit card.

Use the Report Scam button on any listing that looks fake.