The Dusky is the conure that should be far better known than it is. It is an Aratinga - the same group as the Sun, the Jenday and the Nanday - and it is markedly quieter than any of them. For somebody who wanted a Sun Conure and ruled it out over noise, this is the bird to look at next.
Quiet is the selling point
Keepers consistently describe the Dusky as one of the quietest conures kept, without the piercing contact call that defines its louder cousins. It is not silent - it chatters, and it has an alarm call - but a great many people keep them in flats. That is unusual for a conure of this size and it is the main reason to choose one.
They talk better than they should
The second surprise. Duskies pick up words more readily than most conures and speak in a small clear voice. Nobody would buy one over an Amazon for speech, but among conures they are near the top.
Looks are the reason they are overlooked
Worth saying plainly: a Dusky is olive and dusty brown with a scalloped chest, not the flame orange of a Sun. People shopping with their eyes walk past them. People shopping for a bird to live with keep coming back to them. They are also one of the less expensive conures, which has more to do with how they look than with what they are.
Temperament
Steady, affectionate, playful without being frantic, and generally described as less nippy than the louder Aratingas. They enjoy being handled and they tolerate a household going about its business, which makes them easier for somebody with a job than a more demanding parrot.
Living with one
Twenty to twenty-five years. A pelleted base with fresh vegetables, a cage with room to fly across, plenty to shred, and a hide to sleep in. They bathe enthusiastically.
Buying one
Fewer breeders raise Duskies than raise the showier conures, so they take a little more looking for and are worth the wait. Ask whether it was hand-raised, ask when it weaned, and ask about disease testing. The breeders listed on this page raise Dusky Conures and can be contacted directly through the site.