BIRD CHARACTERISTICS

African Grey Parrots (Africa)

• Excellent talkers - individual variability (9)
• Extremely intelligent - high-strung
• Prolific breeders once initiated
• Require attention (10)
• Relatively playful (8)
• Tend to form individual bonds

Amazon parrots (Mexico to South America)

• Few enjoy "petting"
• Excellent talkers (9) species-dependent
• Extroverted personalities
• Aggressive during breeding season
• Tend to form individual bonds
• Require attention (9)

Budgerigars (Australia)

• Gregarious - easily tamed (10)
• Good talkers but require work (7)
• Quiet and nondestructive
• Wild-type are most disease-resistant
• Relatively gentle (7)

Canaries (Australia and Africa)

• Color mutations are genetically weak.
• Breed prolifically in captivity
• Males are vocal singers
• Tidy and easy to care for
• Do not like to be handled.

Cockatiels (Australia)

• Excellent companion birds (10)
• Easily tamed and gentle (9)
• Quiet and nondestructive (8)
• Good whistlers - limited talkers
• Mutations - weak

Cockatoos (Australia, Now Zealand, South Pacific Islands)

• Require attention (10)
• Scream if neglected
• Crave physical contact (10)
• Hand-raised Umbrella Cockatoos are extremely gentle (9)
• Intelligent, easily house-trained
• Produce abundant powder (10)
• Can be noisy; destructive; must be socialized
• Mate aggression is common, particularly in Sulphur-crested group

Conures (Mexico to South America)

• Species variability
• Smaller species are gregarious and playful (9)
• Enjoy and seek attention (9)
• Noisy and destructive (7)
• Generally poor talkers

Eclectus Parrots (Australia and South Pacific Islands)

• Generally lethargic and unplayful
• Dimorphic (males-green, females-red)
• Males are gentler than females
• Tend to form individual pair bonds

Finches (Australia and Africa)

• Melodious songs
• Short-lived

Lories, lorikeets (Australia, South Pacific Islands)

• Colorful, playful, active
• Noisy and limited talking ability
• High-carbohydrate liquid diet; messy
• Frequently bathe

Lovebirds (Africa)

• Relatively nondestructive, quiet
• Hand-raised birds are calm
• Parent-raised birds are difficult

Macaws (Mexico to South America

• Extremely intelligent
• Require attention (10)
• Can be destructive
• Require large living space
• Tend to be noisy (10)
• Aggressive during the breeding season
• Blue and Gold most family oriented
• Hyacinth - least noisy and most mellow

Mynahs (India)

• Prefer not to be handled
• Good talkers (7)
• Loose, messy droppings
• Nondestructive

Pionus parrots (Mexico to South America)

• Small and quiet
• May hyperventilate when disturbed
• Highly stressed
• High altitude species cannot tolerate heat and humidity

Toucans (South America)

• Quiet and antic
• Prefer some live food (rodents)
• Highly territorial
• Messy, loose droppings

Reprinted by Pretty Birds from P.I.J.A.C. Reference Manual

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