Prefered

[Nathaniel]

If you could have any parrot, what would you prefer. Why?

O.K. I have changed this alot so the beggining comments may not make sense.

[sidech]

Well, I just got my baby brown head about 10 days ago but before getting him (he was not was I was looking for), I was going to get a Jardine (gulielmi - they go for about 1000$, I could have gotten one for 750$ CAN). They are said to be quieter than most parrots and to have nice dispositions. Also, I really like their looks. But I also like Poicephalus in general a lot.

I got my Brown head (1200$ at pet store, way too much, but really wanted THIS one) when I went to the pet store to see a Timneh (my second choice besides Jardine, they go for 1800$). I then realized the Timneh was too big of a bird for me, I wasn't comfortable with it on my hand. The lady at the store said she had this really nice Brown head (which I knew nothing about then) and showed him to me. He was really really nice, so I went home, did tons of research, and was very convinced that theses guys were very easy and charming birdies (more so than the Jardine).

Brown heads are not in your list, but maybe you'd like to do some research on them. They are said to be really easy going, enough even to be handled by almost any kid with good manners, and very quiet. Mine lets out a sweet little chirp, and is starting to say " allo " (hello in french), and is very quiet. My daughter, whose afraid of parrots (was bitten by our previous Quaker), even likes him.

So, that's my story.

[Rrrma]

My Rosie(eclectus) can be deafening at times. She likes to be heard and it isn't necessarily for any other reason than she just likes to be loud sometimes.

I adore my eclectus, but I wouldn't recommend them if you need something quiet. Some never really get loud, but regardless of choice, they naturally have a much louder pitch than smaller birds, and you never really know if you will get a screamer.

Amazing birds, absolutely, but definitely not quiet.

My girls scream a lot too(everyone in my house screams, we are kind of a big mouth family lol!), but they are cockatiels and just aren't that loud naturally.

[Nathaniel]

I personally can't stand teils. The teils my step-brothers had were loud and messy. it couldhave been those particular teils but... thanks for the info I will probly cross the electus of my list.

[Rrrma]

I love my tiels, but they can be loud and messy, just nothing compared to my parrots in the voice category lol! I keep mesh on their cage to catch most of the mess, it seems to help a lot.

I've not read any of your other posts, but have you ever personally had a bird? I'd definitely not go with an eclectus as my first either. They are complicated, the more I learn about them the more I realize why they named them eclect(ic)us LOL!

[Nathaniel]

Personally no I have neverowned myown bird. But I am just exploring all options.

These teils I am talking about would bite and hiss at all people but my stepbrothers. They continually screamed all day and some times all night. They would only poop out of their cage and they played(spat/threw) with their food. One of them called me and only me an a**. So you can see where I am coming from.

[Rrrma]

woooooooow, that is bad! My girls, because they are girls, can only scream(squawk) and do it as much as the male talks... it is just they can't say a bunch of other things but "screech" so it gets annoying after a while. You learn to tune it out. They don't make a big mess with anything other than hulling their food and the feathers/dander. They like to hold onto the bottom of the cage and flap their wings really fast as if they were flying, this is how they make their mess and why I made my own mesh net.

I'd probably start out small, maybe even really small like a budgerigar/parakeet. That is how I started, then worked my way up.

If I was a first time parrot owner and didn't want to start that small I'd probably get a sun conure, personally. Conures are one of my favorite smaller parrots... though I haven't really found a bird I don't think is my favorite lol!

[Nathaniel]

Thats what I was thinking. I really like the turquoise GCC, but there are so many others to choose from, like Caiques, Poicephalus,and posibly Pionus(still looking around at them). It is just difficult to choose between them, so I ask others for information and opinions. Hence the excistance of this topic. Thank you for your input.

[Rue]

I have a white-crowned (white-capped) pionus.

I selected them from several others on your list. I have no regrets whatsoever. My guy is fun, relatively quiet, beautiful colours (you need to see them on an adult bird to understand), easy-going, and not too demanding...

The Maxi Pis are lovely too...

[Nathaniel]

My favorite Pionus (Based on looks)is the blue-headed pionus, and secondwould bethe bronze-wing. But the white-capped is very appealing as well.......... *sigh*