When choosing a pet for your household, the most commonly thought of are dogs, cats, rabbits, or the even smaller family of guinea pigs and hamsters. If you are not one of the many people who care to keep any of the above mentioned as household pets, you probably have a variety of reasons. For instance, maybe you live in an apartment that is just too small to house a dog, or maybe you work so many hours in a day that it would just be cruel to abandon a pet for that long. No matter what the reason, keeping a bird as a pet can be just as rewarding and can be the perfect companion to come home to at the end of a long day.
In order of the top five most popular birds that people make their pets, this list will provide you with enough information about each one to make an educated decision and choose the one that is best for your situation.
Parakeets
Parakeets are listed as the most popular bird to keep as a pet for a variety of reasons. Not only are they suitable to families with children, they are also great companions for the elderly and people who work outside of the home. Also known as small parrots, budgies or budgerigars, they require little space compared to large birds and taking care of them is relatively simple and easy. Parakeets are available in a rainbow of different colors and are known to be very intelligent. In fact, many are able to learn a large vocabulary of human words, whistles, and some may even sing songs for you! If cared for properly, parakeets can live a long life, from 12 to 20 years. Parakeets also get along very well with each other, so purchasing more than one will bring hours of joy and entertainment.
Cockatiels
Cockatiels are another great choice for the novice bird owner. These medium sized parrots are also very intelligent, but are not quite as boisterous as the playful parakeet. They can learn to talk and sing very well and learn other sounds such as telephones ringing, door bells and their whistling ability allows them to learn entire whistled songs. Cockatiels can live from 15 to 30 years with the proper handling and care, and will make for a perfect companion for any household, and are distinguishable by the orange marking on the side of their face.
Sun Conjures
These medium sized birds can be quite loud at times, so if you live in an apartment building surrounded by other tenants, this may not be the best choice for you. In fact, Sun Conjures are known for having very loud screams which are used to announce danger or to show displeasure. These species of bird are the most colorful and enjoyable to look at of this list of five popular bird breeds, and are not much larger than the Cocatiel. Sun Conjures can live from 25 to 50 years or more, provided they have the proper care. Their larger, stronger beaks do not make them a good prospect for families with children because they can easily break the skin when displeased and can be pushed to the point of biting.
Parrotlets
This species of bird gets its name because they are only about five inches long! Parrotlets are small parrots that are quiet feisty, but their intelligence level is very high and they tend to have the attitude of a much larger bird. If you live in an apartment, this could be the perfect companion for you. They can live 20 or more years and can actually learn commands such as “step up”, “kiss-kiss”, “step down”, and other small commands.
African Grays
African Grays are highly intelligent birds that can be trained to speak thousands of words. These birds are the largest of the five species on this list, and will also live the longest; from 50 to 100 years with the proper care and attention. They absolutely enjoy your companionship and require lots of toys and attention which is due to them getting bored quite easily. If you are someone who works outside of the home for long periods of time, this may not be the best choice for you.
No matter which of these five birds you may choose to be your next household pet, each will bring their own personality and sense of joy with them. Teaching a bird to “speak” can be very rewarding for a child, as well as become a companion for even the smallest of families.
