Tell me everything you know about Poicephalus and Pionus!

[hlasdf]

I'm on another one of my learn-everything-I-can-about-so-and-so-parrot(s) sprees. I've read a lot of articles and watched a lot of videos about the two and they mostly say the same thing: Poicephalus are nippy, loyal, smart, not cuddly, independent, usually quiet but high-pitched(like a lovebird?) and Pionus are not nippy, average intelligence, not cuddly, independent, don't like to be touched at all, and usually quiet. These seem to be big generalizations and I wanted to know what your personal experiences with them were!

[pionus]

I don't know anything about the Poicephalus, but i do know a few things about the Pionus.

The Pionus has been labeled as a "perch potato", but that is not the case. they just aren't as hyper as other parrots. kinda like a sloth. (i think.)
There are a lot of cases where they haven't been cuddle birds, but that doesn't mean they can't be. I fully believe that the pionus can be a sweet loving bird that likes to be with you, even if that doesn't mean being on you.
there are five sub-species, I believe, that can be obtained in captivity. these include the Bronze winged (cml can tell you more about them), white capped, blue headed, dusky, and maximilian.
the bronze wings tend to be the better talkers, along with the maximilian. the pionus range in size from 10 to 12 inches (give or take a few), with the white capped being the smallest in trade, and maximillian the largest.

Dusky pionus have been said to be the noisiest of the pionus, and also one of the smallest. they have also been described as out going and mischievous.
Maximilians have been labeled as "gentle giants", being calm yet curious, they love to explore.
white-capped pionus are spunky, and can be difficult if they are not handled properly. (as is with most birds)
blue headed pionus are gentle by nature with sweet personalities, making them one of the most readily available and popular of the pionus.

they are pretty similar in personality, all being calm and gentle, sometimes shy around strangers, and curious.
the pionus, even though they are not terribly big, need a large cage, and one of their preferred toys is wood, but not all birds are the same.
they also make a wheezing sound when they are stressed.

Overall I think if handled and properly exposed to people, the pionus has the potential to be a loving companion, and nothing is stopping them from being cuddly.

I hope I helped, I'm sorry If I missed anything important, or if miss-informed you. I have been researching the pionus for a little while now, and just thought I'd add my few cents.

[hlasdf]

I don't know anything about the Poicephalus, but i do know a few things about the Pionus.

The Pionus has been labeled as a "perch potato", but that is not the case. they just aren't as hyper as other parrots. kinda like a sloth. (i think.)
There are a lot of cases where they haven't been cuddle birds, but that doesn't mean they can't be. I fully believe that the pionus can be a sweet loving bird that likes to be with you, even if that doesn't mean being on you.
there are five sub-species, I believe, that can be obtained in captivity. these include the Bronze winged (cml can tell you more about them), white capped, blue headed, dusky, and maximilian.
the bronze wings tend to be the better talkers, along with the maximilian. the pionus range in size from 10 to 12 inches (give or take a few), with the white capped being the smallest in trade, and maximillian the largest.

Dusky pionus have been said to be the noisiest of the pionus, and also one of the smallest. they have also been described as out going and mischievous.
Maximilians have been labeled as "gentle giants", being calm yet curious, they love to explore.
white-capped pionus are spunky, and can be difficult if they are not handled properly. (as is with most birds)
blue headed pionus are gentle by nature with sweet personalities, making them one of the most readily available and popular of the pionus.

they are pretty similar in personality, all being calm and gentle, sometimes shy around strangers, and curious.
the pionus, even though they are not terribly big, need a large cage, and one of their preferred toys is wood, but not all birds are the same.
they also make a wheezing sound when they are stressed.

Overall I think if handled and properly exposed to people, the pionus has the potential to be a loving companion, and nothing is stopping them from being cuddly.

I hope I helped, I'm sorry If I missed anything important, or if miss-informed you. I have been researching the pionus for a little while now, and just thought I'd add my few cents.

Thanks! That helped a lot! I'm pretty interested in the Dusky Pionus but I'm not sure if I can handle the loudness. I'll have to watch more videos of them screaming and such

[pionus]

Make sure to sit reeaal close to the speaker.

[Nir]

Go to a bird store and hear them in person. That's the only way of knowing if they are too loud for you.

[hlasdf]

Go to a bird store and hear them in person. That's the only way of knowing if they are too loud for you.

The last time I went to a bird farm, all the pois were completely quiet and just watchful despite the screaming sun conures, lovebirds, green cheeks, and such. Unfortunately there aren't many pionuses around here so I won't be able to hear them in person. But I'm leaning towards Meyers parrots now after reading more about them.

Anyone know if they're as laid back as pionus parrots or just laid back relative to the other poicephalus parrots? I'm also wondering if their call is as high-pitched as a lovebird's or more/less so?

[Nir]

it depends what you mean by cuddly. My senegal doesnt always like being cuddled but often he will like to be held and petted so he is cuddly to me.

here is a video of him falling asleep while getting scratches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whuhhqaiGJA

[mrbowlerhat]

I'm also wondering if their call is as high-pitched as a lovebird's or more/less so?

I imagine Meyers' calls to be quite similar to Senegals, and Daisy's call to be quite similar to my late PF lovebird Pippin (though I'm not entierly sure).
Pippin had a pretty high pitched call and he'd make those sounds pretty often but it never bothered me. And then Alaska happened! It's a quite similar pitch, very high, but Alaska's call is WAY LOUDER! (Miley's too, of course, but she doesn't really make sounds at all that often)

Here I compare a sound clip with Pippin's calls, and a sound clip with both Mileys and Alaska's: http://youtu.be/LEe815PF4Gs
It's mostly comparing the pitch, since I'm not sure the volume differences are correct.

[hlasdf]

I'm also wondering if their call is as high-pitched as a lovebird's or more/less so?

I imagine Meyers' calls to be quite similar to Senegals, and Daisy's call to be quite similar to my late PF lovebird Pippin (though I'm not entierly sure).
Pippin had a pretty high pitched call and he'd make those sounds pretty often but it never bothered me. And then Alaska happened! It's a quite similar pitch, very high, but Alaska's call is WAY LOUDER! (Miley's too, of course, but she doesn't really make sounds at all that often)

Here I compare a sound clip with Pippin's calls, and a sound clip with both Mileys and Alaska's: http://youtu.be/LEe815PF4Gs
It's mostly comparing the pitch, since I'm not sure the volume differences are correct.

Wow they sound pretty similar in both pitch and volume! In fact, Daisy just let out a whimper from under my shirt when I played both the lovebird and senegal parts. So I guess they're so similar that Daisy can't differentiate?

Though I am pretty sensitive to high pitched noises - especially since I lost my hearing for a while last month when Daisy was having one of her screaming sessions
I'm hoping Meyers at least don't scream as much but since all birds are different, I may have to look into another species, which is unfortunate because they seem so awesome