Must be protected from larger or more aggressive parrots. The Britney Spears of parrots, cockatiels possess cheerful, musical voices however, they can scream shrilly for attention. Unlike many parrots, which become nippy or difficult to handle as they get older, tamed cockatiels remain mellow, making them an excellent choice for children. Crest stands erect when alarmed or interested. Chatters and scolds but voice is not loud compared Personality: Even-tempered, affectionate, and inquisitive but not an acrobatic parrot like some. Almost twice the size of a budgie at 12.5 inches long, but only 90 grams (a little over three ounces). Attractive color mutations include pied, cinnamon and lutino.Ĭountry of origin: Australia. Mature males have almost completely yellow heads. The normal cockatiel is mostly grey, with a few white flight coverts and bright orange-red ear patches. In fact, the cockatiel challenges the budgie as most popular pet parrot in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. While some find the beautiful cockatoo too loud and demanding to keep, the mild little cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is an excellent choice for most people who would like to own a parrot. However, aside from crests and a powdery down, the two species have little in common. Novices often confuse the cockatiel with the cockatoo because of the similarity in names. Talking ability: Moderate, with high-pitched voice similar to the budgie’s. Whistles shrilly but is not as noisy as larger parrots. Enjoys large cages, lots of toys and plenty of attention. Personality: Acrobatic and clownish, known both for the alarming habit of resting with feet in the air and the delightful behavior of hopping about like a wind-up toy. The slightly smaller white-bellied Caique measures 8 inches long and weighs up to 165 grams. Size: Small but relatively heavy, the black-headed Caique measure 9 inches long and weighs up to 170 grams (about six ounces). The white-bellied caique lives south of the Amazon in northern Brazil and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The white-bellied Caique has an entirely orange head and a horn-colored beak.Ĭountries of origin: The black-headed caique occurs north of the Amazon River and westward to parts of Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. The former sports a jet-black head and beak, dark-green wings, back and tail a burnt-orange neck and a creamy-white breast and belly. There are four caique species in all however, usually only two types are kept as pets: the black-headed caique (Pionites melanocephala) and the white-bellied (Pionites leucogaster). However, its entertaining quirks and vibrant patchwork plumage may change that. This South American psittacine with the funny-sounding name is not as well known or widely available as other pet parrots. Best bets: double yellow-headed, yellow-nape or blue-fronted.Īverage lifespan: 50-60 years, up to 100.įew other small parrots offer as many broad strokes of color and personality in one package as the Caique (kye-EEK). Talking ability: Considered second only to the African grey. Voice ranges from soft “growls” to ear-splitting shrieks. Mealies are considered the most even tempered. Can be stubborn and occasionally aggressive. Personality: Energetic, curious and affectionate. Less than 10 inches long and 200 grams for white-fronted, (Amazona albifrons) to almost 18 inches and 800 grams, or almost two pounds (Imperial Amazon). Size: Medium to large, with stocky build, relatively short wings and square tail. These include the double yellow-headed (Amazona ochrocephala oratrix), blue-fronted (Amazona aestiva), yellow-nape (Amazona ochrocephala auropalliata) andĬountries of origin: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Grand Cayman Island, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela. Most Amazon’s, including the dozen or so species kept as pets, come from South and Central America. The most unusual Amazon may be the rare Imperial Amazon (Amazona imperialis), a cockatoo-size bird with purple breast feathers found only on the small Caribbean island of Dominica. As the nickname suggests, most Amazons are largely green, with red, yellow, blue or white feathers on the head, wings or tail to differentiate the 27 species. The popular Amazon, or “green parrot,” is what many people picture when they think of parrots.
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