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20 best pet birds for beginners
Curious what the best pet birds for beginners are? You’ve come to the right place! This list should give you some ideas and help you choose the right bird for you.
Before adopting a beaked buddy, there are several things to consider. Alongside investing in the best bird cage, you’ll want to consider how noisy each species is, how much attention they require and what sort of time commitment you’re getting into – spoiler alert: some birds can live for 60 years in captivity!
Taking care of pet birds is much the same as taking care of any other pet. Just like dogs and cats, they require plenty of physical and mental enrichment, a healthy diet and lots of love and affection in order to thrive.
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If you’ve been thinking about getting a pet bird but aren’t quite sure where to begin, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find the best pet birds for beginners from the petite parrotlet to the rather huge hyacinth macaw.
Best pet birds for beginners
1. Canary
Canaries make fantastic beginner birds thanks to their delightful demeanour and sweet, melodious song. Small and easy to care for, the canary doesn’t require constant interaction and is quite happy in their own space.
Native to the Canary Islands, these little birds come in over 200 different varieties with yellow canaries in particular being popular pets. Their cage should be long with lots of vertical space to allow them to fly and it should be covered at night to create enough darkness to enable them to sleep.
Canaries enjoy being around people but do not like heavy handling, and because they’re solitary birds, they should be housed alone.
2. Parrotlet
The smallest of the parrot species, the parrotlet may be tiny but they come packed with personality. There are lots of different types of parrotlets and they can be great first birds for families with children given how active they are.
Because they’re not overly loud or squawky, they’re also a good choice if you live in an apartment or home with neighbors in close proximity. While they don’t talk as much as larger parrots, parrotlets can be taught a few basic words and they tend to be both affectionate and playful.
Training is essential with these birds to prevent them from becoming territorial around their cage, and while they prefer to live in opposite sex pairs, if you want to bond deeply with your parrotlet, consider getting just one.
3. Budgerigar
The most popular bird in the United States, the budgie is a small and affectionate parrot who comes in many shades of blue, yellow, green and white with black speckling.
Budgies are extremely friendly and affectionate birds and with a little bit of training, they can learn to talk – with many having broader vocabularies than the cockatoo.
There are lots of things birds can eat other than bird food, which is just as well as budgies like a varied diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
With the right care, budgies can live for up to 15 years and because they’re flock birds who enjoy companionship, it’s worth getting more than one unless you have plenty of time to devote to interacting with them.
4. Dove
If you’ve never owned a bird before, the sweet-natured dove is a brilliant first choice. Considered a symbol of peace in many cultures, this graceful and calm bird rarely nips or bites and their tranquil temperament makes them a wonderful addition to families with children.
Relatively quiet except for gentle cooing sounds, doves have simple care needs and are non-demanding. While they are affectionate and bond with their owners, they don’t require lots of one-on-one interaction provided they have other doves for company.
5. Cockatiel
Gentle-natured birds who bond with their owners, cockatiels are intelligent, social and affectionate. As long as they’ve been socialized well from a young age, they’ll be more than happy to be handled and most will live for up to 25 years with the right care.
Cockatiels like to play, so you’ll want to make sure they have plenty of toys in their cage – especially those that encourage foraging and chewing. It’s also worth noting that these birds have very sensitive respiratory systems, so they must be kept away from products that emit toxic fumes, such as candles and aerosol sprays.
6. Green-cheeked conure
A popular parrot due to their small size, the green-cheeked conure is a beautiful bird with a playful, curious and intelligent nature. While they’re easy to care for and therefore a good choice for beginners, they’re best suited to owners who are home a lot as they require a lot of attention and interaction in order to stay happy and healthy.
Mischievous and engaging, they make delightfully lively pets but are easygoing and quiet enough to make them suitable for families. Green-cheeked conures can be trained to do tricks and while they don’t usually talk, they enjoy being part of all aspects of their humans lives.
7. Hahn’s Macaw
The Hahn’s Macaw is a charming bird that’s easy to tame and is a good option if you’d like to have a parrot but would like one with a manageable temperament. Native to north-eastern South America, they’re the smallest of the macaws and are known for their bold, fun and active nature.
Compact and playful, they’re a joy to train and they typically form very solid bonds with their owners. Gentle birds who aren’t prone to nipping or biting, the Hahn’s Macaw is a sweet bird but it’s worth noting that they can be very noisy, so they’re not suitable for apartment living.
8. Eclectus parrot
Looking for a family-oriented bird with a calm temperament? The eclectus parrot may well be the feathered friend for you. An eye-catching beauty thanks to their boldly colored plumage, these birds are charming, intelligent and can live for up to 50 years with the right care.
Originating in the tropical rainforests of the Solomon Islands, the eclectus parrot is gentle, tranquil and known for its caring nature. Sensitive souls who thrive on spending time with their owners, they do not do well if they feel neglected and can become stressed without regular interaction. Quick to learn, you can train them to talk and do tricks and their unique honk is sure to keep you amused.
9. Lovebird
Lovebirds come in every color you can think of, so owning a few of these beauties is sure to brighten up your home. Chatty and active birds who need lots of attention, when handled frequently they tend to bond deeply with their humans and enjoy cuddling.
Lovebirds require lots of exercise to keep them happy, so if you’re after a bird you can let roam around the house each day, a lovebird would be a good option. They’re typically best kept in pairs unless you have a lot of time each day to interact with them and while not known for being big talkers, they do communicate with whistles and chirps.
10. Hyacinth macaw
A cobalt blue beauty with a splash of yellow around the eyes and mouth, the striking hyacinth macaw is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. It is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species, so you’ll want to make sure you have a very large commercial cage if you plan to welcome one of these birds in to your life.
A playful and affectionate bird, the hyacinth macaw loves to cuddle and is known for being gentle, so they’re a good choice if you’re after a feathered friend you can build a strong connection with. However, given that they can live for 50 years, you’ll want to consider the lengthy commitment before adopting one.
11. African Grey parrot
African Grey parrots are beautiful and intelligent birds who typically choose one human to devote themselves to. They become remarkably adept at reading this person’s emotions and remain attuned to them throughout their life.
These birds love to talk and mimic sounds, so if you plan on adopting one, expect plenty of chatter in your home. Known as the Einsteins of the bird world because of how smart they are, African Greys need lots of physical and mental stimulation to keep them healthy.
12. Finch
Finches are known for being robust, adaptable and easy to care for, so they’re a great bird for beginners. Small songbirds that can be found in flocks all over the world, finches are social creatures who enjoy spending time with each other.
While not fond of being handled by humans, if you hand raise them they can be trained to sit on your hand during feeding time, but other than that, they’re more of a bird to enjoy watching as opposed to actively interacting with.
Finches have a very pleasant sound and with the right care they can live for between five and 10 years.
13. Bourke’s Parakeet
Bourke’s Parakeets are hardy birds that make wonderful companions for first-time bird owners. Calm and relatively quiet, they’re great for apartment-dwellers and don’t need lots of space.
Native to Australia, Bourke’s parakeets are incredibly good-natured and they make very gentle pets when hand-fed as babies. Peaceful and passive, if you’d like to keep a variety of birds they get along beautifully with doves, finches and other small parakeets.
Mellow in both vocalization and attitude, they are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to be fairly chilled out the rest of the day.
14. Pionus parrot
Considered the best kept secret of the bird world, the pionus parrot has all the fabulous traits of a parrot with none of the drawbacks. Native to central and South America, they are quiet and easygoing birds and while not a total love-sponge, they are certainly affectionate with their humans.
Pionus parrots enjoy spending time with their owners and giving them plenty of attention will ensure they grow up to become a wonderful companion. If properly cared for, these birds can live anywhere between 25–40 years, so they’re well suited to people looking for a long-lived feathered friend.
15. Amazon Parrot
An intelligent and sociable bird that can live for up to 60 years, the Amazon Parrot is a medium to large sized bird with a playful and clownish nature that’s sure to keep you both entertained and amused.
Curious and athletic, Amazon Parrots are usually very comfortable with being handled as long as they’ve been hand-raised from a young age. Very loving, they need several hours of interaction with their humans each day to prevent them from becoming bored, depressed and destructive so letting them out of their cage and giving them free access to the house during the day will be very much appreciated.
16. Lineolated parakeet
Lineolated parakeets are gentle birds who are known for having an easygoing and calm temperament. Relatively quiet considering they’re a parrot, these little birds are mild-mannered, mellow and communicate in mumbles and murmurs rather than lots of loud squawking.
Rather comically, these birds really like to walk, so much so that they’ll often choose that over flying and the fact that they strut about with their bodies almost parallel to the ground is a very sweet sight to observe.
Lineolated parakeets love to play in water, so giving them access to this each day will offer them one of their favorite sources of enrichment.
17. Meyer’s parrot
Funny, playful and highly intelligent, Meyer’s parrots are gentle birds who love to socialize with their human family. Calm and affectionate, they’re relatively quiet and undemanding as far as parrots go and are typically easygoing with a stable temperament.
While they form bonds with all of the people in their life, they don’t need to be the center of attention all the time and are quite happy to sit on their perch and watch all of the household activity when people are too busy to amuse them.
While not big cuddle bugs, they are content to be handled and a good head and neck scratch will win you some serious brownie points.
18. Quaker parrot
The Quaker parrot (also known as the monk parakeet) is a small bird loved for their charming and comical personality. If you want all the fun of a large parrot but in a much tinier package, the quaker parrot is well worth considering.
Found in a small part of South America, these birds are the only parrots that build nests and they’ll often build them next to each other to create Quaker communities.
Confident, bold and social, they enjoy being the center of attention but their devoted nature means they typically bond deeply with just one human.
19. Crimson-bellied conure
Known for being delightfully silly and oh-so-cuddly, the crimson-bellied conure is an affectionate little parrot with an incredibly sweet nature. Real feathered charmers, they are striking birds to look at and are generally quiet.
Fun and friendly, they love to snuggle up with their owners and are a brilliant choice if you’re looking for a laid-back companion. While not as quick to learn as some other birds, the crimson-bellied conure can still be taught tricks and their daily goofy antics are guaranteed to keep a smile on your face.
20. Plum-headed parakeet
A medium-sized parrot of breathtaking beauty, the plum-headed parakeet is a real showstopper of a bird. Native to South Asia where they live in woodlands and forests, the plum-headed parakeet needs plenty of human interaction but is less demanding than many other parrot species.
Gentle, affectionate and social, they love spending time with their favorite humans but can be standoffish with strangers. As long as they’re hand-fed as babies, these birds tend to be very tame and will form strong bonds with their owners.
Plum-headed parakeets aren’t cuddlers, but they do like to sit on their humans shoulders and chat away.
Read next: Quietest pet birds
Edited by Georgia Guerin.
