Conures are colorful, social, talkative, and playful birds that are popular as pets. For all of their many wonderful qualities, one thing conures are not good at is living by themselves. Wild conures live in large flocks and pet conures need companionship as well.

If you can give your pet conure lots of daily, dedicated attention, you may succeed in filling their need for friends and a flock. If not, you might want to consider getting your conure another bird to keep them company. But what other birds can conures live with? You want both birds to be safe and to enjoy spending time together. In this article, we’ll discuss some other birds that can safely live with conures as well as some general guidelines for helping birds live together happily.

General Guidelines on Choosing a Friend for Your Conure

No matter what species they are, there are some general guidelines you should keep in mind when choosing a friend for your conure.

One of the most important guidelines is that the birds should be similar in size. Larger birds are more prone to behave aggressively towards small birds. Because of their size, they can do a lot of damage to a small bird. Large birds, like macaws, are also very territorial and don’t like sharing space with other birds at all.

Another important factor in how well birds get along is whether they have enough space to live in. While it’s possible that two birds become good enough friends to share a cage, it’s always safest for them to have their own living space and only spend time together outside their cages.

However, if you have a large aviary space, you may be able to have several different species of birds, including conures, live together in relative harmony.

Finally, do your best to pair birds with similar personalities. If you own a conure that is very active and playful, they might not do well with a quieter bird and vice versa.

The 4 Other Birds Your Conure Can Live With

Now that you know some general guidelines for choosing a friend for your conure, let’s talk specifics. What other types of birds might your conure get along with?

1. Other Conures

While this might seem like the obvious answer, it’s also the truth. Conures are most likely to get along well with other conures. Two conures of the same species are the easiest to pair, but you can go with another type of conure if you want a bit of variety. However, two conures of different species shouldn’t be allowed to mate. Make sure your bird and the new bird have been DNA-tested to make sure of their sex to avoid unwanted mating.

2. Budgies

Conures may get along with budgies, but they should never be kept in the same cage and should always be supervised if out together. Budgies are smaller than conures and conures have a much stronger beak. Both of these factors can spell danger for the budgie if the conure decides against being friends.

3. Cockatiels

Cockatiels tend to be much more mild-mannered than conures and could easily be bullied by the larger birds. However, conures and cockatiels may learn to live together over time. They should have separate cages and only spend time together under close supervision as they get to know each other. Younger birds that grow up together might be more likely to get along as well.

4. Finches

Finches can often get along with conures, especially in a large aviary setting with plenty of space. As always, you should carefully supervise the birds as they get to know each other.

How to Help Your Conure Get Along With a New Friend

Even if you are as careful as possible about choosing a new friend for your conure, the ultimate decision about whether the two get along depends on the birds themselves. Some birds simply get along better with other birds than others. However, there are some steps you can take to help your conure learn to get along with their new companion.

Start by having the two birds spend time near each other, but in separate cages. That way they can get used to having each other around while still staying safely apart. You can also observe how they are behaving towards each other. Don’t try to rush any relationship between the birds. Even if your conure never learns to play with the new bird, they may still enjoy having them around for company alone.

If your conure and the new bird seem interested and not aggressive towards each other, you can move to supervised playtime outside of the cage. Let the birds meet on a perch or play gym. Depending on the birds themselves, they may ignore each other or try to interact. If either bird is aggressive or pushy towards the other, separate them and try again after they spend more time getting used to each other.

Conclusion

Because of their social nature, conures may enjoy the company of another bird. Conures are most likely to get along with other conures, but you can also try other birds of similar size and age, like budgies, cockatiels, or finches. Always supervise interactions between the birds while they get to know each other. House them in separate cages or a large aviary. Not every bird will get along together.

One other thing to keep in mind if you get another bird for your conure to bond with is that you will need to continue spending one-on-one time with your conure as well. Developing a bond with other birds can make your conure less bonded to you. Continue to socialize your conure to you and other humans to make sure your bond doesn’t suffer from the addition of a new bird friend.

Featured Image Credit: Kingma, Shutterstock