Choosing Your First Pet Bird
most popular parrots of the pet trade. The parrots listed below, are sorted by size; starting with the smallest and ending with the largest.
Parotlets: Parotlets are the smallest parrot in the world. They are about the size of a finch (3-4 inches). They are almost totally green, with a tiny bit of blue on the males. Unfortunately, they are very temperamental. Knowledgeable parrot owners, only should own these parrots. This is not a starter parrot!
Parakeets (Budgie): Parakeets are the second smallest parrot in the world. As you probably know, they come in every color in the rainbow and then some! Not all parrots have that luxury. Parakeets are very easy to tame, and are often chosen as a first parrot. Did you know that they can learn to talk?
Cockatiels: Almost twice the size of parakeets, they are the third smallest parrot, and they also come in variety of colors, but still not nearly as many as the parakeets. Generally, they are known to be gentle and get along well with people. These are also often chosen as a first bird.
Small Parrots: There are many different species in this group. Most are larger than a cockatiel, but smaller than a cockatoo (white parrot). Although most parrots in this group do not talk, they make up for it by being playful and entertaining. These parrots can be a good choice as a first parrot for some people. This group of parrots includes Conures, Caiques, Quakers, and the Lory group.
Medium Parrots: This group includes Amazons, African Grays, Pionus, and some of the Cockatoos. All of these are considered excellent talkers. However, experienced parrot owners best own these parrots. They are often bossy and even aggressive. They have their own minds, and expect you to adapt, not the other way around.
Large Parrots: this group consists of all the Macaws (except the mini macaw), and the large Cockatoos. Like the medium parrots, these also are NOT a good choice for the first time owner. Here you have not only bossiness, but size; these guys are a lot of bird to handle, especially if he wants his own way. These guys aren't afraid to battle with you in order to get their way, and they usually win.
Sadly, many parrots are bought on an impulse by naïve owners, and later abandoned, when the owner realizes that he got more than he bargained for. Unfortunately, there are very few parrot
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