Choosing Your Parrot - Species Profiles
Offering your customers the right parrot companion is a big decision with several considerations including size, noise level, personality, dietary requirements, and their budget. We’ve created individual profile pages highlighting frequently kept species, insights associated with each species, and general “at a glance” considerations.
African Greys
The African GreyParrot is a medium-sized parrot native to Africa and is considered one of the most intelligent of all birds. There are two species of African Greys, the Timneh Grey, which is a darker shade of gray, with maroon-colored tail feathers and the Congo African Grey, which is larger and lighter colored. The Congo African grey has a red-colored tail.
These highly intelligent birds require a lot of attention and stimulation and can become quite devoted to their owners. Both the Congo and Timneh African Grey are excellent mimics and learn to talk extremely well. The African Grey is around 13 inches tall with Timnehs slightly smaller than the Congos.
Fun Facts
African Greys are known as one of the best talking parrots. However, they are not known to be super cuddly and would rather enjoy sitting on your hand with a head scratch.
Conures
Playful, colorful, fun loving, bold and inquisitive are all traits that describe a conure.
Native to South America, conures come in a variety of sizes, and depending on the conure, they range from an average of 9 to 21 inches long and have a life span of 20 to 30 years. Because of their smaller size, conures are highly recommended as family pets or for the first time parrot owner. Conures are beautiful birds that come in a multitude of colors.
Conures have a reputation for being loud at times, particularly during the early morning greeting and in the evening, however some species like the Green Cheek are on the quiet side. Conures are playful, enjoy human interaction, and develop strong bonds with their owners. Many conures learn to talk and can say a few words and phrases.
Species Available Include: Sun, Jenday, Red Jendays, Green Check (all color mutations), Blue Crown, Golden Conures (CA sales only), Crimson Bellied, and Dusky Conures.
Fun Facts
An outstanding and colorful option for people that want a smaller parrots. Their personalities are loving and most make great pets for families with children.
High Yellow Sun Conures
We have partnered with a private breeding facility that has selectively bred yellow sun conures for the past 24 years. The high yellow sun conures are beautiful and most are pure yellow when mature. The personality and temperaments are great – just like normal colored sun conures! Remember, they are normal sun conures…. We just call them platinum not high yellow as others “say” they have high yellow -but ours are the real thing!!! That is why we call them platinum as they are in a class all by themselves!
If you are looking for something unusual and visually stunning – look no further! Our high yellow sun conures are in high demand and if you’re interested, please check our availability page or contact us to join our waiting list! We have plenty more pictures and videos (for serous buyers) or visit our Facebook page as we have more pictures and videos there. Remember to like us so you won’t miss our future updates.
Fun Facts
Sun conures make great pets for families and are gentle with kids. Our high yellow suns are one of our favorite species to raise! The only consideration with a sun conure is some of them can be loud at times.
Macaws
Macaws are stunning companion parrots and offer impressive size and vivid coloration. Macaw species range in size from the tiny Hahn’s macaw (12 inches) to the impressively large hyacinth Macaw (40 inches). They can be quite entertaining companion parrots and are fond of attention and people. Macaws are wonderful birds and are highly intelligent. Macaws have a loud call and they are not recommended to individuals living in apartments or condos.
Macaws love to play, chew lots of wood, can be mischievous but in a friendly manner. Macaws are loaded with personality and will be the center of your life. Due to their size, macaws are not recommended as pets for families with small children.
Commonly kept species include Blue & Gold, Greenwing, Scarlets, Ruby, Military, and Hyacinth.
Fun Facts
Macaws out color and large parrots with a loud call at times. Most people call the macaws “gentle giants” due to their sweet personalities. The largest parrot species in the world is the Hyathinth Macaw – with stunning navy blue color.
Mini-Macaws
Do you like the look and personality of a macaw; however don’t want the size or loud call?
A wonderful option is the Mini Macaws. Mini Macaws have inquisitive personalities and an excellent ability to mimic. They are extremely playful and interactive and have many of the social characteristics of the larger macaw species. If you like the macaw personality but don’t have the space for a large species, one of these delightful minis is a great choice! I recommend them both highly for family pets, as they can be socialized to bond with several people in the family.
Commonly kept species include Yellow Collar, Hahns, Severe, and Red Front.
Fun Facts
Do you like the “big” personality of a macaw but want something smaller with a softer call? Well, look no further than the mighty “mini” macaws!
C
Cockatoos
Cockatoos are very lively and affectionate birds. They are quite “cuddly” and bond very closely with their owners. However, their sociability and need for affection means they demand a great deal of time from their owners. Cockatoos are intelligent, playful, mischievous, and they can be exceptionally loud.
These special birds are affectionate, intelligent, long lived, and are quick learners. Cockatoos can also be loud and love to chew and play with toys. A significant amount of time, interaction, toys, and dedication is required if you want to add a cockatoo to your home. If you are absent most of the day or travel extensively, this species is not for you. The key to healthy, happy cockatoo relationship, however, is a balance of independent play and scheduled human interaction. Cockatoos can be quite vocal, which can make for a tricky situation for those who have close neighbors. Companion cockatoos come in two sizes: large cockatoos and small cockatoos. The “large” cockatoos are noticeably bigger, and include the Umbrella, Moluccan, Greater Sulphur Crested, and Triton. The “small” cockatoos include the Bare Eye, Goffin, Rose Breasted (or Galah), and Citron.
There are more than 20 different species of cockatoo and most people think of cockatoos as being all-white birds, yet they come in many colors. Moluccan are salmon colored, rose breasts are pink and gray, Sulphur Crested have yellow crest feathers as well as on the underside of their wings, and there are also black colored cockatoos (although they are rare as pets). Cockatoos are a lifetime commitment and with proper care, cockatoos are long lived from about 40 years (smaller species) to 80 years or more (larger species).
Species Available: Umbrella, Moluccan, Goffin, Bare-Eyed, Rose Breasted (Galah), Sulfur Crested.
Fun Facts
Cockatoos are known as the “teddy bears” of the parrot world – They love to cuddle and form strong attachments to their owners. It is important to provide lots of play toys and time out of the cage. Some cockatoo species have loud calls.
Amazon Parrots
Amazon Parrots are known for their exceptional vocal abilities, playfulness, and lively personalities. Amazons are devoted companions and require a lot of attention when kept as pets. Amazons are native to Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Caribbean Islands. Amazon parrots are probably most desired for their ability to talk. While not every individual will learn to pick up sounds, most learn to mimic sounds and amazon parrots also seem to be inclined to copy singing more so than other species. Amazons a predominantly green with accent colors including yellow, orange, and reds.
There are 27 different species of amazon parrot with the most commonly kept species include Blue Front, Yellow Nape, Double Yellow Head, Spectacled (or White Front), Lilac Crowned, and Orange Wing.
Fun Facts
Amazons are considered to be the best talking parrot (along with African Grey Congos). If you are looking for a bird with an outgoing personality – An amazon might be right for you. They tend to be one person birds as they get older.
Senegals, Meyers, and Jardine Parrots
Compact, cuddly, and very playful describe this group of parrots. Senegal and Meyers Parrots are popular parrot companions due to their size, color, and pet qualities. They are also much quieter than many of the smaller, more colorful and popular parrots, like conures. For this reason they make ideal pets for apartment or condominium living or for families with small children. Additionally, they enjoy spending time with their owners and be the center of attention without being demanding.
Fun Facts
Looking for a great family pet or something that is quiet and won’t upset your neighbors? Look no further…. A Meyers, Jardine, and even a Senegal all make outstanding choices. Side note, they are not known for their talking ability but make up for it with their charming personalities.
Pionus Parrots
The Pionus Parrots are medium-sized parrots native to Central and South America. Pionus are excellent pets, great temperament, and quiet. This is another excellent choice for families or for the first time parrot owner. Pionus are known for their quiet (compared to other parrots) and reserved natures. Unlike some other companion parrots, they are not particularly playful, but they do provide companionship and are described as gentle and charming pets.
Species Available: Blue Headed, White Capped, and Bronze Wing.
Fun Facts
Looking for a perfect size parrot that is quiet and friendly? Look no further than the wonderful Pionus Parrots. They make outstanding companions for families due to their gentle and easy going personality.
Eclectus Parrots
The Eclectus Parrot is native to the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and Northeastern Australia. Eclectus Parrots are sexually dimorphic (meaning males and females are colored differently). The males of the species are bright green, having bright candy corn colored upper mandibles and black lower mandibles, and blue or red tail and wing feathers. The females are red headed and blue to purple breasted, with black beaks. Because their differences are so extreme, people thought they were two different species.
Eclectus should be fed a diet high in vegetables, fruits, and grains. The brilliant plumage colors of Eclectus reflect the diet they are fed. Vegetables such as carrots, squashes, sweet potatoes, yams, broccoli, kale, and chard are full of natural carotenes and are recommended for Eclectus. We do not recommend processed food (i.e. pelleted diet) for Eclectus parrots.
Fun Facts
Before figuring out males are green and females are red, people thought they were two different species of parrots!!
Toucans, Hornbills, Toucanettes, Aracaris
Are you looking for something that is truly unique and different? Don’t want to deal with the noise associated with parrots? Toucanettes and Aracaris (miniature toucans) make excellent pets. They are friendly, cuddly, playful, intelligent and curious about their surroundings. They like to play with toys, interact with their owners, and provide wonderful companionship. They will sit on your shoulder and cuddle in your lap. Toucanettes and Aracaris have many advantages when compared to parrots as pets. They do not scream or make loud noises. Since their beaks are not powerful, they cannot bite hard and, in fact, have difficulty squeezing a grape. They do not have feather dander, like cockatoos, and will not “dust up” the house.
Toucanettes and Aracaris have special dietary requirements and eat larger quantities of food. They process their food much more rapidly than parrots and other birds. Because of this, they MUST have fresh fruit daily and a constant supply of low iron (softbill) pellets.
Species Available: Emerald Toucanettes, Collard Aracaris, Curl-Crested Aracaris. Various TOUCAN and HORNBILL species are also available as well.
