Popular Companion Birds

Popular Companion Birds
Popular Name of Bird	Origin	Varieties	Average Lifespan	Ownership Considerations
Amazon Parrots	Mexico, Central and South America	Most are green with various bright colors on the head.	40 to 50 years	Most are great talkers and singers and do so loudly. Medium to large birds. Can be temperamental and often bond closely to one person.
Brotogeris Parakeets	South America (feral colonies in Puerto Rico, Los Angeles)	Bee Bee, gray-cheeked, orange-winged, and other color varieties	15 to 20 years	Small and lively. Sometimes called “dwarf” parrots. Only some talk.
Budgerigars (Budgies)	Australia	Usually green in wild; many colors available in the pet trade.	5 to 10 years	Suitable for apartment living as not usually loud. Can learn to talk.
Caiques	South America	Black-headed, white-bellied (yellow-thighed)	20 to 30 years	Personalities vary. Active birds that actually “hop.” Some talk a little; most males whistle well.
Canaries	Canary Islands and Madeira	There are 3 main groups: colorbred (bred for their colors, including yellow), type (bred for their shape and feathering), and song (bred for the song patterns).	Up to 15 years	Males often have a lovely song, which is how they are distinguished from females. Territorial in temperament, canaries prefer to be housed singly or in mated pairs. Suitable for most apartments.
Cockatiels	Australia and South Pacific Islands	Have muted feather colors.	Up to 20 years	The rarer color mutations may be more fragile. Often have lively personalities. Relatively quiet compared with macaws or cockatoos, but are still vocal.
Cockatoos	Australia and South Pacific Islands	Most are predominantly white; the rose-breasted is gray and pink. Several rare species are available.	25 to 50 years	Some talk, and their speaking voices are quiet. Enjoy and may demand a lot of handling, cuddling and attention, which can add to hormonal behavioral problems. Very loud when they decide to scream. Not for inexperienced owners. The most prone to extensive chewing of wood, plastic, et cetera.
Small conures (Pyrruraspecies)	Mexico, Central and South America	Small in size, peach-fronted, maroon bellied, green cheeked	Up to 25 years	Often described as charming. Relatively quiet. Most are smaller than cockatiels.
Larger conures (Aratingaspecies)		Sun, Jenday, Nanday, gold-capped	Up to 30 years	Active, beautifully colored, small to medium in size. Temperaments vary. Voice is piercing when they scream. Not known for their talking ability.
Doves	America, Mexico, Europe	Relatives of the common pigeon. Many species available.	Up to 20 years	Considered beautiful and elegant. Less demonstrative than parrots, and quiet except for their cooing.
Eclectus Parrots	Indonesia, Pacific islands	Males are emerald green with patches of reds and yellows. Females are shades of deep red, often with a blue bib.	40 to 50 years	Ability to talk varies. Not as prone to screaming as cockatoos and macaws.
Finches (Fringillidae)	Africa, primarily	Many colors available	5 to 10 years	Usually kept as aviary birds; do not generally interact with humans. Not loud but “peep” over extended periods.
Grass parakeets	Australia	Bourkes, turquosines, scarlet-chested. Many species and colors available.	8 to 13 years	Small, quiet, usually not aggressive; tendency to be nervous. Generally do not talk.
African Grey Parrots	Africa	A medium-large bird. Gray feathers and red tail.	40 to 50 years	The most intelligent of the parrot species, and therefore have the most potential problems with behavior. Require a great deal of time and attention. Do not scream, but they do growl. Excellent mimics with the largest potential vocabularies, but do not like to talk in front of strangers.
Lories and Lorikeets	Australia and Pacific islands	Many species including Moluccan (red), multicolor, red and blue, and others	15 years	Intelligent, curious, fairly nervous temperament. Striking coloration. Require special diet, which creates increased mess.
Lovebirds	Africa	4 or 5 species commonly available. Peach-face, black-mask, blue-mask, and Fischer's are popular.	Up to 20 years	Sweet voices, not usually loud. Can be temperamental during breeding season.
Macaws	Central and South America	Blue and gold (blue and yellow), scarlet, green-winged, military, and hyacinth are available.	50 to 60 years	Largest of the parrots. Can talk, but usually more limited vocabularies than Amazons or African Greys. Screaming voice is very loud, with potential to irritate neighbors! Require a lot of exercise and a lot of time and attention.
Mynas (Mynahs)	Southeast Asia and Indonesia	Feathers are usually dark though some species have yellow head feathers. The Bali Mynah is light in color.	12 or more years	Excellent talkers. Not demonstrably affectionate. Very messy stools.
Parrotlets	Mexico, Central and South America	Green and blue in color. Common species include Mexican and Pacific (Celestial).	Up to 20 years	Also known as “pocket parrots.” Relatively easily tamed when young. Small in size. Quiet for parrots.
Pionus parrots	South America	Blue-headed Maximilian's, white-capped, Dusky, and bronze-winged.	25 to 30 years	Quieter than Amazons, to which they are closely related. Known for gentle dispositions. A medium-sized parrot.
Poicephalus parrots	Africa	Small to medium size. Senegal is most common. Others include Meyer's, Jardine's, and red‑bellied.	2 to 25 years	Engaging birds with distinctive colors, comparatively quiet voices. Very playful when young.
Pigeons	Europe and other areas	Relatives of the common pigeon living in cities.	Up to 20 years	Relatively quiet. Often kept in colonies. Some are raised and trained for racing.
Psitticula parakeets	India, Southeast Asia, Africa	Indian ring-necked (rose ringed-necked), moustached, plum-headed, Derbyan, Alexandrine	Up to 20 years	Very colorful. Medium in size. Can be very affectionate if given sufficient attention and care. Many are good, quiet talkers. Their screaming voice is piercing but they are less prone to excessive screaming than many other psittacines.
Quaker (monk) parakeets	South America (feral in many locations, including Florida and New York)	Usually green with gray face and chest, blue and yellow mutations available.	20 to 30 years	Banned in several states (California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Georgia) and considered a pest by farmers in many countries. Hand-reared birds can be very affectionate and decent talkers. Sometimes loud. Known for chewing.
Rosellas	Australia	Brilliantly colored parrots of the family Platycercus. Crimson, eastern, and western most common.	10 to 15 years	Tend to be nervous; require constant handling to remain tame. Often found in larger aviary settings.
Toucans and Toucanets	Central and South America	Toucanets are smaller versions of toucans.	10 to 25 years	Toucanets are more nervous. Must be acquired young to make good pets. Require soft food diet and can be extremely messy.