What is a St. Thomas conure?

[Michael Goretz]

I recently saw a St. Thomas conure in a store. It had the body
type of a maroon belly or green cheek but was smaller. Actually it
was smaller that a cocatiel. Its body was primarily dark green and
it had no significant other coloring on it. My avian vet and a
bird wholesaler are unfamilier with this species and we could not
find it listed in Forshaws, "Parrots of the World". Is it a
hybrid? Thank you, Michael

[N Frumin]

A St. Thomas Conure (Aratinga pertinax pertinax) is indeed a vary
petite conure. The bird is green and as an adult the true St. Thomas
has a striking yellow orange head with a small area of blue at the
crown, The lower chest goes from greenish yellow to an orange. The
throat is brownish, tips of primaries and secondaries are blue.

Brown throats as a group are not common in aviculture. There are
several breeders that are trying to establish breeding stock from the
birds that were brought in about 8-10 years ago and their offspring.
True St. Thomas' are EXPENSIVE. Many sell Brown throats (which the St.
Thomas is the nominate group) as St. Thomas.

Thomas Arndt's book "The Atlas of Conures" (T.F.H. 1993) has several
great pictures of this bird as well as of some of the recognized
sub-species (there are 11). If you are interested in conures this is
the book to get. I has wonderful pictures and drawings of both
Aratingas and Pyrrhuras.

Natalie