I Want a Pet Bird!

Best Pet Bird Species – My Google Search

Several months ago I wrote a post entitled: “Best Bird Friends” . So to follow up on that info, I have written “I Want a Pet Bird” all about the best bird species as pets.

My previous post is about my experience with pet budgies or parakeets…very fun small birds who are relatively easy to care for. From working in several retail pet stores I also became enamored with Conures. So I decided to Google ‘Pet Birds” and “Best Pet Bird Species” and came up with three different sites recommending “8 Top Friendly Bird Species”; “The Top 10 Best Pet Birds”; and, “10 Birds that will Make for a Great Family Pet”. So do you want a pet bird? I know I want a pet bird!

All three sites agree on Parakeets or Budgies as their number one choice for good pet birds. And two pick Cockatiels and then Cockatoos as their number two and three pet bird selections. Just one site nominates the Canary as their number 3 best pet bird species. From there on they do continue to differ somewhat. Sprucepets.com, Chewy.com, and Women’s Day.com are the three first sites that appeared in my search results for the best bird species as pets.

Budgies

Budgies, also known as parakeets, are just 6 to 8 inches, weighing in at a very light 1 ounce. As mentioned they are low maintenance and vary in colors of blue, yellow, white, gray, and green with combined color touches here and there. These little birds can be taught to do tricks and to talk…with patience they will even eat right out of your hand. They are said to be the most popular bird species of bird parents – 25 percent make a home for budgies. So our most popular and best bird species for pets. They have big personalities and an easy going manner. Best to give them a variety of food including carrot strips, broccoli head piece, along with fruit and seeds. They normally live 10 to 15 years.

Cockatiels

Cockatiels are friendly and affectionate and do need at least an hour of your attention and interaction every day. They originate in Australia and to be a good pet need to be hand fed as babies. They are very smart birds and will learn to whistle and mimic household sounds but they are not known to talk, however, they are still quite vocal. These birdies are 12 to 13 inches and weigh just 3 ounces. Coloring is usually grey and yellow with cinnamon and a quite long tail. Cockatiels are curious and known as pint-sized parrots or miniature cockatoos. Their life spans 10 to 15 years. They do need a bit of room since they like to be able to fly in their cage and also utilize a perch outside their cage during the day.

Cockatoos

Cockatoos are affectionate large birds who will bond with their owner or caretaker and need no less than an hour every day of your devoted attention. They love to socialize with you and can become depressed. If left alone too much or too long, they may become destructive, ie, plucking their own feathers. These guys are 18 inches and 16 to 26 ounces. They are normally white with a bit of yellow and a large white crest.

Canaries

Canaries are Women’s Day third choice of best pet bird species. They are said to be cheerful and curious small birds, only 3 to 4 inches, weighing in at 1 ounce. Their average life span is 10 to 15 years. They don’t like to be handled but do like your presence in the room they occupy. The males will give you lots of songs and the females plenty of chirps. They do need lots of toys in keeping with their curious natures.

Conures

All three sites choose Conures amongst their last six selections of great pet birds. These little ones hail from Central and South America. They weigh in at 3 to 9 ounces and are generally 10 to 15 inches. They can live over 20 years and need a roomy cage and definitely like to have your attention. Conures are known to be playful and intelligent but not necessarily as talkers.

Parrotlets

All three of the sites also name Parrotlets as good pet birds among their last six nominees in their best pet bird species groups. Parrotlets are tiny 4 to 7 inches tops and weigh 1 ounce living an average 15 to 20 years. They want to be able to spread their wings in their roomy cages and love to play games. You can teach them to sit on your finger and they do love to play and interact with you. These fellows are called ‘pocket parrots’ because of their small size but have very big ‘spunky’ personalities. Also you can teach them to talk. I believe this is the one for me. Yes, I do want a pet bird!

Also Mentioned

Those are the 6 bird groups with a consensus of the three sites as being the best species for a family pet. Individually they also mention Doves, Macaws, Finches, Lovebirds, and the African Grey Parrot, Meyer’s Parrot, and the Pionus Parrot as good pet birds. You can do the same search that I Googled: “pet birds” and check out these sites for yourself to see any additional information.

If you adopt one of these adorable birds, take a look at my post on vacation time called “Our Pets on Vacation”. It will give you helpful information for your pet while you are away.

Another post you may want to read is: “Protection for Pets” – a good review on pet insurance.

Thanks

Thanks so much for stopping by Pet Viewpoint. Come back and see us next week and always please do mention us to your pet-loving friends and family. Follow us weekly by clicking on our free Subscribe button at the very end of this page to receive good tips and info for your pets.

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