The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly golden-yellow plumage, orange-flushed underparts and face, and green and blue-tipped wings and tails.

Sun conures mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, nuts, and insects.

[3] The two widely used common names are "sun conure", used in aviculture, by the World Parrot Trust[4] and some authorities such as Thomas Arndt and Joseph Forshaw, and "sun parakeet" as used by the American Ornithologists' Union and widely by official birdlists, field guides, and birders.

Of these, the sulphur-breasted parakeet only received widespread recognition in 2005, having gone unnoticed at least partially due to its resemblance to certain preadult plumages of the sun conure.

As far as known, the remaining taxa are entirely allopatric, although the sun conure and the sulphur-breasted parakeet possibly come into contact in the southern Guianas, where some doubts exist over their exact identity.

Juvenile sun conures display a predominantly green plumage and resemble similarly aged sulphur-breasted parakeets.

Their status in Venezuela is unclear, but recent sightings from the southeast near Santa Elena de Uairén have been reported.

They may occur in Amapá or far northern Pará (regions where the avifauna generally is very poorly documented), but this remains to be confirmed.

[11] Sun conures are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known.

[12] Like other members of the genus Aratinga, the sun conure is very social and typically occurs in large flocks of 15 to 30 individuals.

Bathing, warm rainfalls, and humidity allow the sheaths of each pin feather to open more easily and lessen their discomfort.

Sun conures are extremely smart and curious, so require constant mental stimulation and social interaction.

[10] In the wild, sun conures mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, nuts, and insects.

Sun conure flocks near Karasabai have commonly been observed feeding upon monkey brush plants, with their colourful plumage serving as camouflage against the red and yellow flowers while eating.

They require more protein intake during breeding season, more carbohydrates when rearing young, and more calcium during egg production.

In captivity, their diets may include grass seeds, beans, nuts, fruits (apples, papaya, bananas, oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, rowans, elderberries, hawthorn berries, rose hips, cucumbers, and tomatoes), vegetables (spinach, Chinese cabbage, cress, roquette, kale, broccoli, carrots, alfalfa, peas, endive, and sweet potatoes), dandelions, chickweed, soaked corn, germinated sunflower seeds, and spray millet.

Cuttle bones, mineral blocks, and gravel or ground oyster shells may be given to aid in mechanical digestion.

[10] Sun conures are currently endangered, with their population numbers declining rapidly due to loss of habitat, hunting for plumage, and being excessively wild caught – about 800,000 each year, for the pet trade.

Since the Wild Bird Conservation Act was put in place in 1992 to ban the importation of parrots (including sun conures) into the United States, they are more frequently bred in captivity for domestication purposes.

[1] The sun conure is noted for its very loud squawks and screams compared to its relatively small size, and have been recorded reaching over 120 decibels.

Sun conures are great candidates for outdoor flight when well trained, as they are loyal, but risk potential must be minimized.

The genetics and inheritance mode of the mutation are poorly understood at present and some red-factor birds that exhibit extremely reddish color fail to thrive, display health problems, and die within months of hatching, with brain and spleen abnormalities apparent upon autopsy.