This is "Hermes", a Green-cheeked Conure.
Budgerigars (Budgies) are probably one of the most underestimated pet birds, in terms of their personality and pet potential. Because they are common, inexpensive, and have been around for a long time, people tend to think of a Budgie as boring. Nothing can be further from the truth. Some of the coolest birds I have known have been Budgies. I grew up with a Budgie, who lived to be 13. At the time that was fairly remarkable, but nowadays with improved diet and veterinary care, Budgies commonly live into their teens.
They are full of energy, playful and clownish, with a bit of a mischievous side. They are easy for children to handle, if brought up around children who handle them regularly. Budgies' beaks are small enough that they may pinch a bit when they bite, but you can basically ignore it. They are very personable, and the males make quite good talkers if purchased when they are young and worked with. I have also found that males don't bite as hard as females, and so they may be a better choice for families with small children.
Budgies are easy to sex when they're young, so picking out a male from a group of youngsters is less difficult than with other birds such as Cockatiels. When Budgies are very young, the cere (the skin around the nostrils) is a pale purple colour. At weaning age, which is about 5-6 weeks old, the males will begin to show patches of bluish colour on the cere and the females will have a more solid pink or beige tone to their ceres. At breeding age the female's cere colour turns a darker brown.
Young Budgies (with the exception of some fancy coloured ones) have sideways bars on their forehead. Older Budgies have a clear white forehead. Try to get one as young as possible, but one that's eating on its own.
There is a video (Parrots-Look Who's Talking) that has been shown on PBS a number of times, and there is a Budgie on the video who says, with a British accent, "Hello Sir David Attenborough. I love you with all my honour and all my heart". And he says it with a British accent, clear as a bell! Although Budgies can learn a large number of words, they are not very loud when they speak, so you have to be right next to them to hear it. As well, they tend to jabber, stringing sentences and words together, and are not as capable of making the connection between words and actions as some of the larger parrots are.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Budgie: around $40 Cdn.
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These small, playful birds are fairly uncommon as pets but are becoming more popular recently. They have small beaks like Budgies, and so are fairly easy for children to handle. These would be good pets for someone who wants a bird approximately the size of a Budgie, with a short tail, and more exotic.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Parrotlet: around $150 Cdn.
Back to Types of Birds Index
Lovebirds look like miniature parrots. They come in a variety of species and colour mutations, and are cheeky, active birds. One prevalent misconception about Lovebirds is that they should be kept in pairs. Lovebirds are no different than other Parrot family members, in that they will bond to each other and to some extent become wilder if there are two, but one will make a tamer pet.
Another misconception about Lovebirds is that they are good pets for children. Generally, this is not the case, although I have seen some gentle Lovebirds. Almost always, these sweet ones are males. The females are usually more dominant in a breeding situation, and therefore more aggressive as pets. Breeders who understand genetics can determine the sex of babies by their colour in some nests, depending on the colour of the parents. If there is more than one person in the house interested in handling the bird, I would recommend trying to obtain a male.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Lovebird: $80 to $150 Cdn., depending on the colour and type of Lovebird.
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Cockatiels are probably the most popular pet bird today. This is because they have a gentle, affectionate nature, and are known for getting along well with families and children. They love to put their head down and have you scratch it, and will sit happily for fairly long periods of time on someone's shoulder.
Like Budgies, males make better talkers than females, but their forte is whistling. The males have a natural whistling call, so it's very easy for them to pick up whistling, and some can perform entire songs. If you want your Cockatiel to talk however, it is recommended that you not whistle to it at all in the beginning. After it's talking well, you can begin to whistle some tunes. Females tend to be sweeter and more affectionate and somewhat less independent.
The problem with determining the sex of a baby Cockatiel, is that they are all marked like females when they are young. The males don't get their different plumage until they go through their first moult at around 7 months to a year old. If you see a Cockatiel with adult male plumage, it is much older than the normal weaning age of 8 weeks. This older bird may not be as tame as it should be, and if it isn't already talking, it may never start. For the most part, I believe it's better to get a young one of unknown sex and be assured of a nice pet, than to get an older bird that is definitely a male.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Cockatiel: around $80-120 Cdn., depending on colour.
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Kakarikis are small members of the Parakeet family, and are about 8 inches long. They are very energetic and love to be on the go. Some are cheekier and more aggressive than Cockatiels, and not as affectionate, but their beaks are small, so they aren't difficult to handle when they are being temperamental.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Kakariki: around $150 Cdn.
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Ringnecked Parakeets are one of a number of large parakeets, and are a special kind of Parrot family member because they do not pair bond year round like most parrots do. In the wild, the females dominate, and stay aloof from the males for the majority of the year. Then in the breeding season, the females allow the males to approach and mate.
As pets, they are not as affectionate as most other parrots; they don't put their head down for scratches or show much enjoyment of physical contact. The males can be gentle family pets, but the females are more aggressive, tending to make a better one-person pet. They can be noisy, as they are fairly large parakeets and have some natural loud calls which they will do for attention.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Ring-necked Parakeet: around $250 Cdn. for a normal green, more for Lutinos and Blues.
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Conures are a large group of birds that are known for their outgoing, boisterous nature. They are intelligent, active, inquisitive, and vocal. They are good at doing tricks, and some of them make excellent talkers.
One subgroup of Conures, called the Pyhrrura Conures, are small and quiet enough to have in an apartment. These Conures are small and have beautiful, often subtle colours. They are cheeky and have a huge personality for their size. They are not known for their talking ability; they are capable of talking, but the ones that do usually only learn a limited number of words. The two most common and affordable Pyhrrura Conures are the Green-cheeked and Maroon-bellied Conures.
The other main group of Conures, the Aratingas, with a few exceptions, have loud, shrill contact calls that they can make fairly frequently. The louder members of this group would definitely not be suitable for an apartment.
One of the quieter Aratingas is the Peach-fronted Conure. They are small, with a smaller voice, and are quite good little talkers. Three other common members of this group that are closely related are the Nanday, Jenday, and Sun Conures. These three are noisy; they have loud, shrill, frequent calls, but if you can put up with the noise they make gentle, affectionate pets. Jendays and Suns are very brightly coloured.Also in the Aratinga group are the Blue-crowned and Mitred Conures. These two birds have deeper voices and are not as frequent squawkers as the three previously mentioned Aratingas, and they have the best talking ability in the Conure family, being easy to teach a number of words and phrases. They have a loud, fairly clear voice.
Price range for a hand-fed weaned baby Conure: $250-500 Cdn., more for rarer types.
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Quakers are the only member of their group. They are classified separately partly because they are the only parrot that builds a colony nest site by gathering materials and constructing the nest. Almost all other parrot family members nest in hollow trees.
Quakers are similar to Conures in temperament, except they are usually somewhat more social and less territorial about their cages. Like Conures, they also can be quite noisy. Some are fairly good talkers.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Quaker: around $400 Cdn.
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Caiques are active, playful birds which have distinct markings that give them a comical appearance. They are highly social, and need a lot of attention, but their vivid personalities and clownish antics make them a riot to own. My pairs like to strut upside down on the ceilings of their cages, walk backwards on the floor, and hop when they are called; they love to show off. They are semi-noisy, and need a large cage with good toys and lots of attention.
One interesting aspect of Caiques is their ability to stay tame in a breeding situation. If you get them young and have some time to spend with them, the pair can stay handleable even when bonded to each other. Another interesting point is that my pairs and youngsters all sleep in their nest boxes, and I would recommend that if you buy one, you should provide it with a box to sleep in at night.A Caique would make a good pet for adults who want to spend their time at home interacting with their bird, or sometimes take their bird with them when they go out. It would not do well if it was left in the cage a lot when you were home.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Caique: around $800 Cdn.
A breeding pair of Caiques.
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The Lories are a specialized group of very colourful Parrot family members that eat nectar and pollen in the wild. In captivity, they are usually fed a liquid nectar-like food, along with fruits. Because of this diet, they have squirty, fruit-juice like droppings. They are not for everybody!
Lories are social, playful birds. They are always on the go and quite entertaining. They can be fairly noisy.
If you consider purchasing a Lory, you might look into obtaining a cage that has Plexiglass guards on the sides. Another helpful idea is to put plastic sheeting (vapour barrier used in home construction) on the floor and wall behind the cage. Then you can pull the sheet up and give it a hosing, in the bathtub or outside, to get the stickies off.
Lories are somewhat more expensive to feed as well, because of having to purchase the nectar for a proper Lory diet.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Lory: about $500 Cdn. and up, depending on rarity.
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This is a popular group of parrots. The Poicephalus group has a variety of species, which are generally small (6"), fairly quiet, somewhat shy, and can be one-person oriented. All of these birds are good at doing tricks if started when young. The ones I have worked with are easy to teach to lie on their backs and do headstands. They can be good talkers and they have a small, clear voice. I have known some birds in this family that were excellent talkers. The males are usually more outgoing and aggressive than the females. For the most part, they are quiet; their natural call is a shrill metallic beep, which they do if they are alarmed or excited. If you accidentally encourage their noise, they can make quite a bit more noise than they normally would.
SENEGAL
PARROT
The Senegal Parrot is the most well-known member of the group. They were imported in large numbers for quite a few years, and are more common in breeding collections than the others in this group. They are mostly green with a grey head, bright yellow on their bellies, and yellow irises. They are usually quite good talkers.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Senegal Parrot: around $450 Cdn.
BROWN-HEADED PARROT
The Brown-headed is the least common, least colourful, and on average, the gentlest member of this group. They are an iridescent green on the back with a brown head, bright yellow patches tucked under the wings, and brown eyes. A slightly higher percentage of these turn out to be more sociable towards all family members than other Poicephalus members.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Brown-headed Parrot: around $450 Cdn.
MEYER'S PARROT
The Meyer's is the second most gentle bird in the group. They are a greyish colour on the back, with yellow at the bend in the wing and on the forehead, green bellies, and a bright blue patch on the rump between the wings. I find them to be more gentle than the Senegal or Red-bellied.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Meyer's Parrot: around $500 Cdn.
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RED-BELLIED PARROT
This member of the Poicephalus group is dimorphic (males and females look different). In most parrots where there is a plumage difference between the males and females, the juveniles are marked like females and if they are males, they get their male plumage during the moult. In Red-bellieds, this is reversed! The juveniles are marked like males with an orange belly, and when they moult, the females lose the orange. Adult males have pale green bodies with grey heads, a bright pumpkin orange belly, and red eyes. The females are the same, except their bellies are a grey-green colour. In my experience, these are the best talkers of the four smaller Poicephalus.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Red-bellied Parrot: around $600 Cdn.
JARDINE'S PARROT
The Jardine's Parrot is a larger bird than the four previously mentioned, approximately the size of a pigeon. They are green, with black edging to their feathers on the back, and the adults have a bright orange forehead. They have brown eyes. As youngsters, they go through a phase where they like to use their powerful beaks to test everything, but with patience, they pass through it and learn to be more gentle. They are good talkers, and unless spoiled, are quiet birds by nature.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Jardine's Parrot: around $900 Cdn.
This is "Basil", a young Greater Jardine's Parrot.
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Pionus Parrots are medium-sized parrots that are fairly quiet and gentle by nature. They are not as common in the breeding community as some other groups of birds. Some of them can make excellent family pets and can be great with children. The two Pionus members that are most commonly sold as pets are the White-capped and Blue-headed Pionus. The others become available for pets occasionally, but they are rarer and more expensive.
The White-capped Pionus are outgoing, affectionate and social, and fairly good talkers. They have a tendency toward aggression during the breeding season, and can be "one-personish". They are subtly coloured, with dark blue, bronze tones and a pure white cap on the head.
The Blue-headed Pionus are more mellow generally, and more independent, meaning that they usually do not mind as much if you are busy. They like to watch the activity in the house, and can happily sit on (or in) their cage and observe. They are affectionate in that they like to have their head scratched, but usually don't become overly demanding about it. Some people might find them too sedentary, but if you're busy, they can be an ideal pet. (This is why we have one!)
Price range for a hand-fed, weaned baby Pionus Parrot: around $500-1000 Cdn. and up, depending on the species.
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This is a difficult group of birds to generalize about, as the many different kinds of Amazons have differing personalities, and even individuals within a species can vary widely. This unpredictability makes them difficult to own, because most people have families who want to be involved with the bird.
In a very general sense, Amazons are a feisty, outgoing group of birds that love activity and variety in their lives. They are best known for their talking ability and their willingness to perform. Amazons just love to show off, and you can get them excited and cranked up fairly easily. Because they love attention, they are easy to reward for certain behaviours which can be used as tricks; for example, waving their wing and saying "hello". Amazons are good birds for taking out of the house for visits; they love new things and new experiences.
An Amazon would be a good pet for a single person, or when only one person in the family is interested in handling the bird. The more aggressively bonded ones will choose a person to "love", and then usually the person of the opposite sex (that they see the most of) will be the one they choose to "hate". I have known many people with Amazons, where only one partner could go near the bird. Sometimes the bird will bite the person they "love" when their spouse walks in the room. This is the bird saying, in his own way, "CHOMP, you're mine! Keep that other person away from you!"
An Orange-winged Amazon Parrot.
Also, a good prerequisite for Amazon ownership would be if you were an outgoing, forceful person yourself, because Amazons need firm disciplining to keep them in line when they are aggressive. They can be somewhat unpredictable in their moods, and have on occasion been known to bite their owner in the face unexpectedly. If you have a fear of being bitten, or you don't handle the situation properly, the biting can become habitual.If you buy a previously-owned Amazon that was bonded to say, a woman, this bird will likely almost always prefer women over men. A man who is married wouldn't stand a chance with this bird; it will bond to his wife, and in all likelihood hate him, even if he tries to be very nice to it. Some people who get Amazons that are like this think they must have been abused by someone, but I've seen it enough times to know that this is a normal, natural occurrence.
Price range for a hand-fed, weaned baby Amazon: around $800 Cdn. up to about $1500; more for rarer species.
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With most parrots, talking ability and an outgoing nature go hand-in-hand. African Greys are the notable exception to this rule. These are shy birds by nature, usually very quiet for a large parrot. They are most comfortable performing their exceptional talking ability in the comfort of their home, for the people they know best. They are not the kind of bird you would buy if you were interested in having the bird show off for your friends and co-workers; they are not "party animals"!
Greys are widely thought to be the most intelligent parrot. They think things through, and rarely act on gut instinct. They can become bonded to one person in the family, but they are not as aggressive about it as the Amazons can be. A Grey will bite if pushed into a situation where it can't retreat, rather than going out of their way for a confrontation.
The amount of information out there about African Greys repeatedly verifies their intelligence. The stories are endless about how they demonstrate word association and reasoning ability.
There are two common types of African Greys, the Timneh and the Congo. Timnehs are smaller, darker grey on the back, and have a dark maroon coloured tail and some beige in their beak. They are more outgoing than Congos, and somewhat better in a family situation. They talk more readily for strangers and are more active and playful.
Congo African Grey parrots (see photo below) are larger, lighter grey, and have a bright red tail and an all black beak. Congos are more reliable talkers; a higher percentage of Congos than Timnehs learn to talk extremely well. These are the most popular parrot for people interested in exceptional talking ability. The downside of Congos is their tendency to pluck, meaning to pull out their breast feathers, if they feel neglected. They are more sensitive to changes in their environment, as when the person they are primarily bonded to starts to spend less time at home.
"Frisco", a two year old Congo African Grey.
One famous Congo African Grey has made numerous appearances on T.V. His name is Alex, and he is being taught by a researcher, Irene Pepperburg. From studies of Alex, it has been determined that some parrots have the intelligence of a two to three year-old human child, which is on a par with dolphins and the great apes.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Timneh African Grey: around $1000 Cdn.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Congo African Grey: around $1400 Cdn.
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Eclectus Parrots are very unusual birds for a couple of reasons. Most parrots are monomorphic (each sex looks the same), but the Eclectus are extremely dimorphic (sexes look different). The males are emerald green with a yellow beak, and the females are red and purple with a black beak. They also bond differently than most parrots do, in that they don't pair bond during the non-breeding season. When they discovered these birds, they were in separate flocks; the males in one and the females in another. They thought for a while that they were two distinct species, until they saw them together in the breeding season!
Because of this unusual way of bonding, Eclectus may be more independent than other types of parrots. They typically don't enjoy being touched and petted the way other parrots might, but this also means that they aren't as demanding for physical attention. They are medium noisy with a fair talking ability. Since the females are the dominant individual in a breeding pair, they are more one-person oriented and can be bossier than males in pet situations.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Eclectus Parrot: around $1200-1400 Cdn.
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Cockatoos are crested parrots that are mostly known for their affectionate nature. They love to be touched, scratched and cuddled, and because of this, they are fairly time-consuming, demanding pets to own. They want to be with you and on you, and they love being the center of attention. They don't do well at all if they are by themselves in a cage and the people are gone a lot, or if, while their owners are home, they ignore the bird.
In general, Cockatoos make good family pets; they will accept attention and affection from anybody who is willing to give it. On the downside, Cockatoos are dusty. They give off a powder from their down feathers, and an increase in dust will be noticed, particularly in the room where the bird's cage is. They are also big into chewing. You have to be watchful when they are out of the cage, as they can do major damage to wooden things fairly quickly. If they are taught that screaming gets them attention, they can produce some of the worst noise known in the Parrot family, even though they are fairly quiet by nature for the majority of the day. An unspoiled Cockatoo may get rowdy in the mornings or evenings, but that usually is the extent of it.
There are two main groups of Cockatoos. The first group, the erect-crested Cockatoos, contains the Sulphur and Citron Crested. As a group, these birds generally are more active and temperamental, and better at talking and doing tricks. Males are more domineering and nippy than females.
The other group, the recumbent-crested Cockatoos, includes the Moluccan, Umbrella, and Goffin's. The birds in this group are usually steadier in personality, more affectionate and sweet (and thus more demanding). They are more sedentary, with the exception of the Goffin's, which are very active birds. One of the most intelligent parrots happens to be in this group; it is the Bare-eyed Cockatoo. They are just now becoming available in Canada as pets. They, like the Goffin's, are very active, and can be very mischievious if you don't spend the time to teach and discipline them.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Cockatoo: around $800-1000 Cdn. and up, depending on the species.
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The large Macaws are the biggest, most brightly coloured members of the Parrot family. They are used in T.V. commercials, exhibits at tourist attractions, and for some, they are the dreamed-of epitome of parrot ownership. A Macaw would seem a logical choice if you want a huge parrot that is blow-your-eyes-out colourful, but first you have to realize that in owning this kind of parrot, there are more aspects to consider than just size or beauty.
In my experience, about 19 out of 20 people who think they want a Macaw, really don't. Once they learn the amount of time and effort involved in keeping one happy and healthy, they might reconsider. Macaws can live a very long time, and the level of commitment involved in owning one has been described as "having a two-year old child for the next 50 years". Some people who don't take the time to learn about Macaws buy one simply because they have always wanted one and can now afford it. They soon find out, after the thrill of showing it off to all their friends has worn off, that they have a big beautiful (expensive) bird sitting in a big, beautiful (expensive) cage, and they don't let it out much because it is so time consuming. Then they feel guilty and sell it, and that's a shame, because these birds get so attached to us as their "flock".
Macaws are energetic, inquisitive, noisy, affectionate but temperamental, and destructive. If left unattended, and because they are very active birds, they will usually get down from where they are, and walk through the house looking for things to do. If your dining room chair should happen along, then there might only be three legs on it five minutes later. They are not easy birds to handle because they are so large and they don't fit on your shoulder too well without gouging your neck with their nails. So they must be held on one of your arms, and can prevent you from doing anything else. They love to remove buttons, necklaces, earrings, and will ruin a nylon zipper in the bat of an eye. Their huge beaks can be rather intimidating, and if you are fearful of being bitten, they will take advantage of you and can become very bratty and nippy. Sometimes it's difficult to predict their mood; they can be happily getting scratched one minute, and take a swipe at you the next. If neglected, they can be extremely noisy.
Sometimes a good potential Macaw owner comes along. Usually they are a single adult, or a couple where only one of them is mainly interested in handling the bird. If both of them are interested in handling the Macaw, they must have a lot of time to devote to their bird. In fact, it needs to be treated more like a child. These owners are very easy-going about noise, and they have homes that have that "lived-in" look, or at the very least, have the time to constantly supervise the bird when he's out of the cage.
There is also a group of small Macaws, called "Mini-Macaws" that are very similar to Conures in nature (see Conures). They are not as colourful as the large Macaws, and are fairly expensive for their size, because they are not common. I have a friend who breeds Hahn's Macaws. They are the smallest member of the Macaw family, and they are affectionate, semi-noisy, active birds with a lot of personality in a small package that are easier to handle than the large Macaws.
Price for a hand-fed, weaned baby Macaw: starting around $800 Cdn. for smaller species; over $1000 and up for larger Macaws.
This is a young Hahn's Macaw.
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