The bird species have a vast variety of individuals, each with its own unique size, coloration, and personality traits. These different types of pet birds have the potential to become wonderful pets for those who are the appropriate fit for them. There are far too many different types of birds for pets to include in this article, but if you go through the families that are the most prevalent, you should be able to find one that piques your interest.
Here Are the Birds That You Can Have as Pets
Finches
Finches are the smallest birds used as pets in avian practice. Colorful and varied, many distinct kinds exist. Some species exhibit both sexes in the same individual. It’s not uncommon for rare finches to cost hundreds of dollars. Although they may be heard clearly from a distance, finches do not really speak. They thrive in the company of other finches, and most bird owners with at least one finch tend to have many. A typical lifespan for these animals is between 8 and 10 years. Some of the finches the author has treated have survived for almost 17 years. Finches are wonderful companions for those who want an attractive, low-maintenance bird that doesn’t need a lot of attention or space.
Lorikeets
Since nectar is so specific to their diet, these birds never really caught on. Feeding and cleaning their cages with nectar and the resulting sticky droppings was a dirty business. The development of powdered nectar diets that may provide all the nutrients they need has made their upkeep a little less of a hassle. Maybe it’s because of this that they’ve suddenly become so well-liked and a birds that you can have as pets . The lories in my neighborhood are always the most fun. As natural clowns, they’ll roll over on their bellies to play with a ball or other object by grasping it with their feet.
Pionus
Pionus parrots have a well-deserved character as a kind and sociable species of parrot. One of their best features is that they don’t make a lot of noise, making them an excellent pet for those who live in a condo or apartment building. They do make noises, but their speech is often not very good. Pionus parrots are great for those with no parrot experience or for those who choose a low-maintenance pet.
Canaries
When it came to keeping birds as pets, canaries used to reign supreme. Their popularity has dropped because of the rise of hand-raised, more personable birds. Although male canaries are often praised for their enchanting songs, not all of them are equally talented vocalists. The price difference between male and female canaries is due to the fact that the females do not sing. When male canaries are trying to attract a female, they sing to compete with other males for attention.
During their molting process, which may last up to a few months, canaries often cease singing. Since they are cautious bird that is hard to hand-tame, they are often given little attention and kept in a cage. Acquiring one while it is still a baby increases the likelihood that it will be tamed and turn out to be a loving pet.
Canaries, being high-strung creatures, are susceptible to the stresses of handling and may ‘faint’ as a result. When a veterinarian opens their hand and finds a bird laying still or breathing heavily, it may be quite unsettling. Canaries should always be closely monitored throughout any kind of surgery that involves handling.
Canaries have a potential lifespan of 10–12 years. In the author’s experience, a canary’s maximum lifespan was 19 and a half years. For the best singing ability, a male Canary is the best choice. If you don’t care about their talent to sing, women can be wonderful, supportive friends. They are low maintenance and make excellent “first bird” pets.
Lovebirds
Despite the moniker, lovebirds are really rather hostile. They are often the perpetrators of assaults on other birds in a collection, resulting in broken beaks and even amputations. Raise a baby bird from hatching to becoming a loving companion. It seems that peach-faced lovebirds do better as pets than their black-masked and Fischer counterparts.
Put two of these birds in a cage together, and they’ll “lovebirds” to each other but “attack parrots” to anybody who dares to invade their territory. While lovebirds aren’t often considered talkative, they are capable of producing quite a bit of noise when they feel the need to express themselves.
The author has observed that lovebirds often live until their early to mid-20s. Having a hand-raised lovebird as a pet is ideal since it might be difficult to tame wild birds. A single lovebird is preferable since it will have a strong attachment to its owner, whereas a pair will form a strong bond with each other and may become hostile. Keep other birds away from lovebirds, even if they seem friendly, since lovebirds may be dangerously violent if provoked.
Conures
Conures’ suitability as household pet has been called into doubt throughout the years. In particular, certain conures, like the Nanday and Sun conures, have a well-deserved reputation for being loud, constant screamers. Avian experts knew to steer clear of Patagonian conures since they were thought to have the Pacheco’s illness virus. The status of conures has greatly enhanced as of late. The popularity of keeping conures as pets is well-deserved, since these birds are intelligent, social, and fun to watch. Birds that have been reared from infancy are the easiest to care for and manage. Some conures do speak; however it is sometimes difficult to understand them because of their muddled speech yet one of the different types of birds for pets. They make a lot of noise, and if they start screaming, it may be really frustrating. In addition, conures may become hostile, particularly around mating time. The average lifespan of a conure is between 15 and 20 years.
Budgerigars
Most avian practices include budgerigars or little canary-like birds. They’re cheap, full of life and merriment, and lively, as well as loving once trained. Budgies can communicate for unusually long periods of time, have an extensive vocabulary, and even form whole phrases. It seems that male budgies are more vocal than females.
Budgies have a high level of companionship and may form strong bonds with their human carers. A budgie’s probability of talking may decrease if the bird is kept in a cage with a mirror or another bird since it will form a relationship with the cage mate and spend less time interacting with its owner.
Many budgie owners boast that their pets can execute complex feats because to the birds’ high intelligence. Besides the common budgerigar, the “English” budgie is also common. While most budgerigars weigh between 30 and 40 grams, English budgerigars often tip the scales at 50 grams or more. It has been said that these birds are more subdued, tastier, and more communicative than others.
They cost more money, too. All too often, budgies meet an untimely end due to their propensity to acquire neoplasia (cancer). According to some estimates, budgerigars have the highest neoplasia rate of any vertebrate species. The average lifespan of a budgerigar is estimated to be between 10 and 12 years; however, owing to factors like as sickness and neoplasia, very few budgerigars live that long.
At the author’s clinic, a budgie mother of 18 years old successfully hatched and raised a family of budgies. She was just 18 when she passed away suddenly. Budgies are great companion birds because they provide a lot of “bang for the buck,” are social, lively, and intelligent. They are great starter birds.
Cockatiels
The demand for cockatiels as pets has increased dramatically in recent years, and with good cause. Their modest stature belies the fact that they share many of the attractive traits of much bigger birds. They have a high reproductive success rate, can be reared well in captivity, and are widely accessible. Some of the best avian breeders in the world got their start with cockatiels. Raised by humans, cockatiels develop into social, loving pets.
They are so sociable that any bird, even one not bred by humans, may be domesticated with time and effort. Cockatiels are capable of speech (males are more likely to do so), however they typically do not have a large vocabulary and their speech is often muddled and unclear. They have a remarkable talent for whistling and can sustain a song for quite a while.
Although there are times when they may be rather loud and raucous, on the whole they are not an exceptionally noisy bird species. Their eagerness to procreate, along with their sociability and devotion, may lead to overpopulation. Cockatiels may acquire a year-round or seasonal sex desire when they reach sexual maturity.
A healthy cockatiel may live for almost 20 years. Several of the author’s patients made it to their mid-twenties, and one even made it to age 30. If you’re looking for a first bird, cockatiels are a great option. Hand-raised birds are the greatest option since they are friendly right away. Cockatiels are wonderful pets for youngsters since they are gentle and kind. They live longer than most other tiny birds, which might help lessen the emotional toll of losing a companion.
