Choose the Bird That's Right for You

The following is a really good overview of many different types of companion birds. For additional, and more detailed information, go to our bird column, For The Birds!.

African Grey Parrot
Advantages: Good talker and great mimic, but usually not noisy. Lives long. Intelligent. Normally good breeders.
Disadvantages: Unreliable temperament. Often notorious feather plucker when neglected. Often one person bird.

Amazon Parrot
Advantages: Excellent cage and aviary bird. Many species have great personalities and are good mimics and talkers. Long lived. Intelligent.
Disadvantages: Hard to acclimate. Sometimes one-person birds. May become neurotic screechers when confined to small cages. Can be difficult to breed.

Cockatoos
Advantages: Affectionate, especially when hand-reared. Longevity. Highly intelligent.
Disadvantages: Many species are very noisy and not suitable as house pets. Often notorious feather pickers when neglected. Often one-person birds. Very destructive. Many suffer from psittacine beak and feather disease.

Macaws
Advantages: Affectionate and playful. Long lived. Very intelligent.
Disadvantages: Noisy and very destructive. Often feather pluckers. Difficult to breed. Require large cages.

Lovebirds
Advantages: Hand reared birds affectionate. Many color mutations.
Disadvantages: Not good talkers. May become less friendly with maturity.

Australian Parakeets
Advantages: Adapt well to captivity. Long breeding life. Highly prolific.
Disadvantages: Many larger species are aggressive; not suitable as house pets, except hand-reared birds.

South American Parakeets
Advantages: Beautiful colors and nice character. Very intelligent and inquisitive. Many are prolific breeders. Hand-reared birds make delightful pets.
Disadvantages: Very noisy. Often destructive. Not suitable as cage birds.

Lories & Lorikeets
Advantages: Colorful, intelligent, affectionate.
Disadvantages: Loud, messy, and require a unique diet

Cockatiels
Advantages: Excellent cage and aviary birds, especially for beginners.
Prolific breeders with many color mutations. Easy to tame. Will learn to repeat a few words when obtained young. Intelligent and affectionate.
Disadvantages: Sometimes noisy.

Quaker Parrots
Advantages: Affectionate usually to one person; can be great talkers capable of large vocabularies; inexpensive; clownish behavior. Average life span 15 years.
Disadvantages: Prone to cage aggression and hormonal swings. Can be noisy.

Conures
Advantages: Come in a wide variety of color and sizes according to the species. Can be very talented talkers and provide lots of entertainment with their comical behavior. Relatively inexpensive. Average life span is 15 to 20 years.
Disadvantages: Some species can be very noisy. Can be destructive if not provided with many toys.

All characteristics listed in this article may vary according to the individual bird. Go to bird shows, talk to breeders and owners, read books, and discuss this decision with an avian veterinarian. It's important that you choose carefully because many birds live decades.