Poicephalus vs Pionus

[Veronika]

Hello everyone,
I'm thinking of getting a parrot but can't decide which breed I should go for. I've been looking at parrots belonging to genus Poicephalus / Pionus, can't find the difference which would help me decide between these two, though.
According to what I've read, Pois tend to be moody and nippy, while Pionus are said to be louder than Pois. I, unfortunatelly, have never had a chance to hear any of the Pois / Pionus screaming and hence don't know which one would make a better apartment parrot. (If anyone could compare the level of their noisiness to some other parrot species, I would be really really thankful ).
I'm currently leaning towards Meyer's or Red-bellied Parrot, but the price of RB is slightly putting me off. Same for the Pionus - they're more expensive but if I knew they're the right parrots for me, I'd save up and go for them
So what I want to ask you is what personalities do Pois and Pionus have? Are Pois really that nippy and moody? There is a lot of info on the internet but I'd rather hear from some Poi owners what are their babies like.

Thank you.
Veronika

P.S.: I'm really sorry for the grammar mistakes, English is not my mother tongue.

[Rue]

Your english is wonderful!

This is a poi-dominated forum, so I'm sure you'll get a lot of support for one.

When I was doing research, I was originally planning on a poi...I even had a red-belly reserved. But then I discovered the Pionus and was smitten. I was also concerned about nipping after having visited with several senegals.

We ended up with a white-capped (or white-crowned) Pi. He's wonderful! I have no regrets. He's funny and very entertaining, not too loud, plays well with his toys, good with other family members...easy-going...

[pchela]

Your English is great!

A lot of it is going to boil down to an individual birds personality. I know that doesn't help but that's the way it is. Most people I've known with Pionus really love them. They are supposed to be very calm and cuddly and on the quiet side though I have heard of Pionus who were screamers.

I wouldn't consider my Pois to be moody or nippy. They all go through a nippy phase as babies but they grow out of it with loving guidance. My Red Belly is a biter and will bite hard but he came to me from somebody else so I didn't raise him. I don't really know how his younger years were. He is an excellent talker. He is 8 years old. Another member here, Natacha, has two Red Bellies and says they are extremely sweet birds. My Senegal is very cool. He will go to anybody and does not bite. The only bites he gives are to me and they are always either displaced aggression bites, bites to warn me away from something he perceives as dangerous or I play with him too rough and he gets over zealous. The bites are also quite rare and he's never drawn blood.

In general terms, a Pionus will most likely be a bit more calm an laid back than a Poi. A poi will be more playful and a bit more quiet. Again, these are generalizations. Each bird is different. My Senegal can be quite loud if he wants to be.

[Michael]

I think it also depends about which poicephalus species you're discussing. My Cape Parrot is really loud but my Senegal is more annoying at a lower volume. I think Meyer's are known to be the quieter of the pois but I'll let one of our multi-poi owners confirm that. Can't say much about Pionus.

[pchela]

The Meyers I fostered was louder than all of the other birds and she was a ringleader. She'd start screaming and everybody would join in.

My Red Belly is the most quiet and that is because he talks instead of yelling or making weird noises.

I think we all just have to admit that there is no such thing as a truly quiet bird. Compared to a Cockatoo, yes, a Poicephalus is extremely quiet, but everything is relative.

[Michael]

BTW, how do you pronounce Pionus? I heard someone calling them pee-on-us. I always just said pine-us.

[Rue]

Pie-own-us

[pchela]

Pie - Oh - Nuss

[thegreatkatsby]

I recently adopted a white-crowned pionus and SHE IS SOOOOOO QUIET. Of course, this is in comparison to a blue-fronted amazon, but I can't believe how quiet she is. The most noise she has made so far was at the vet today--but, who likes being wrapped up in a towel while a guy dremels your beak and nails off, right?

On the flip side, along with that quiet comes less playfulness and less cuddliness. Part of this could just be because I have only had her for 2 weeks and we haven't bonded or found our comfort level with each other yet. However, she is VERY smart, and eager to please. "Step Up" was learned very quickly, which I found surprising for a bird who had never been kept in a cage and has hand/touch issues.

I can't compare a pionus to a senegal, but I can tell you I love this little pionus so much, and I definitely recommend them!

[pchela]

Pie-own-us

JINX! You can't talk till I say your name! (or you can buy me a coke)