Hello from Arkansas -long post-

[AvianAviator]

Hi every body. My name is Mason and I am currently not a bird owner, but I would like to be and am doing all kinds of research before hand to make sure I am a good companion rather than just an owner. I will be moving to Michigan in the next couple weeks for work so I will be more or less alone for about a year while I wait for my fiance to finish her bachelors and move up there with me. In the mean time I hope to get a bird to not only keep me company, but to also be an outlet for my nurturing nature. I have a few birds that I have done research on, but I don't know what would be the best fit so I will just ask you fine folk.

Here's what I've got going on in my life. I am a 21 year old man who spends all his time either at home or at work so I will have lots of time for a bird even after my fiance and I get married. I will be working probably 50 hours a week in Michigan so there is one concern.. alone time. I want a bird that will have an affectionate personality, but also be able to be independent while I'm at work and not make too much noise while I'm away. (don't worry. I'll make lots of foraging toys for him] My fiance also suffers from stress migraines (which shouldn't be a problem while we are separated and once we have a comfortable income] and I know she won't appreciate a screeching bird in the house if one of those hits. My future feathered friend also needs to be easily trained and talking would be a big bonus, I know some birds won't talk no matter how smart they may be and if that's the case with mine then so be it.

My biggest worry is really just the time alone while I'm at work. I can handle noise and mess, but I don't want to be the reason a poor creature ends up preening all its feathers off or becomes depressed because I have to work every day. I don't know. I may be just over thinking it and as long as they have enough new challenges as far as toys and things to tear up they will be fine until I get home.

I have done a bit of research on different birds and made some decisions based on what I've read and seen on line and IRL so here's my list of pros and cons for each of the birds I have researched. Let me know if I left any major things out or got something totally wrong.

Budgie
pros: affordable. small. quiet. cheap to feed.
cons: may be harder to train. very fast. less likely to talk.

Cockatoo
pros: affectionate. smart. funny.
cons: loud. clingy. too much energy. hard to understand if they talk.

African Grey
pros; very intelligent. usually calm. most likely to learn to talk well. not as noisy if stimulated.
cons: needs constant mental stimulation. more susceptible to plucking.

That's not exactly a comprehensive list of birds and their pros and cons, but those are the ones I have really looked into. I would really like to have a Congo African Grey, they are just amazing birds from their brain to their elegant look. It isn't just the bird though. I want a companion that I can love, teach, and be best friends with. I have done hours and hours of research on these animals from how they act in the wild to what kind of toys they like.

Thank you for your time and I am sorry if I rambled on for too long. Any advice is much appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you

[Wolf]

I would like to welcome you to the forum. I applaud you in your efforts to research about companion birds, although I think that you are getting the wrong information from someplace, for instance budgies hold the current world record for number of words spoken, African Greys tend to be one of the more nervous and high strung of all parrots and cockatoos are very affectionate with an equal dose of jealousy as well and jealousy manifests as biting resulting is severe injury to whomever gets bitten.
I do not recommend any parrots for anyone at any time, but will be happy to try to point you in the right direction to make an informed choice of your own, starting with this link http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww24eiii.htm
From there I recommend that if you are going to get married that you discuss this first with your lady as this is a choice which will affect everyone in the household.
Now I will direct you to the best possible place to learn about parrots and to gain some hands on experience as no amount of reading can possibly prepare you for caretaking a bird. That place is the closest bird rescue and they always are in need of volunteers. In my opinion they are also the best place for you to find a suitable bird. Yes, some of them will have issues due to poor owners in their past but many of them are pretty much what you see is what you get. Most of them are also old enough to have gone through puberty and in fact a lot of them are their because of going through puberty and the accompanying changes in bonding and personality and for no other reason.
Keep researching, keep asking questions and keep looking and you may find the bird of your dreams. Good luck!