The following is part of a table from the "Avian Medicine:
Principles and Applications" book.
(Some characteristics are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the
highest value.)
African Grey
Parrots (Africa)
-
Excellent talkers
-individual variability (9)
-
Extremely
intelligent - high-strung
-
Prolific breeders
once initiated
-
Require attention
(10)
-
Relatively
playful (8)
-
Tend to form
individual
bonds
Amazon
parrots (Mexico to South
America)
-
Few enjoy
"petting"
-
Excellent talkers
(9)
species-dependent
-
Extroverted
personalities
-
Aggressive during
breeding
season
-
Tend to form
individual
bonds
-
Require Attention
(9)
Budgerigars
(Australia)
-
Gregarious -
easily tamed
(10)
-
Good talkers but
require work
(7)
-
Quiet and
nondestructive
-
Wild-type are
most disease-resistant
-
Relatively gentle
(7)
Canaries
(Australia and Africa)
-
Color mutations
are genetically
weak
-
Breed
prolifically in captivity
-
Males are vocal
singers
-
Tidy and easy to
care for
-
Do not like to be
handled
Cockatiels
(Australia)
-
Excellent
companion birds
(10)
-
Easily tamed and
gentle (9)
-
Quiet and
nondestructive
(8)
-
Good whistlers -
limited
talkers
-
Mutations -
weak
Cockatoos
(Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific Islands)
-
Require attention
(10)
-
Scream if
neglected
-
Crave physical
contact (10)
-
Hand-raised
Umbrella Cockatoos are extremely gentle
(9)
-
Intelligent,
easily house-trained
-
Produce abundant
powder (10)
-
Can be noisy;
destructive; must be socialized
-
Mate aggression
is common, particularly in Sulphur-crested group
Conures
(Mexico to South America)
-
Species
variability
-
Smaller species
are gregarious and playful (9)
-
Enjoy and seek
attention (9)
-
Noisy and
destructive
(7)
-
Generally poor
talkers
Eclectus
Parrots (Australia and South Pacific Islands)
-
Generally
lethargic and unplayful
-
Dimorphic
(males=green, females=red)
-
Males are more
gentle than
females
-
Tend to form
individual pair
bonds
Finches
(Australia and Africa)
-
Melodious
songs
-
Short-lived
Lories,
lorikeets (Australia, South Pacific Islands)
-
Colorful,
playful,
active
-
Noisy and limited
talking
ability
-
High-carbohydrate
liquid diet;
messy
-
Frequently
bathe
Lovebirds
(Africa)
-
Relatively
nondestructive,
quiet
-
Hand-raised birds
are calm
-
Parent-raised
birds are difficult to tame
Macaws
(Mexico to South America)
-
Extremely
intelligent
-
Require attention
(10)
-
Can be
destructive
-
Require large
living space
-
Tend to be noisy
(10)
-
Aggressive during
the breeding
season
-
Blue and Gold
most
family-oriented
-
Hyacinth - least
noisy and most
mellow
Mynahs
(India)
-
Prefer not to be
handled
-
Good talkers
(7)
-
Loose, messy
droppings
-
Nondestructive
Pionus
parrots (Mexico to South
America)
-
Small and
quiet
-
May
hyperventilate when disturbed
-
Highly
stressed
-
High altitude
species cannot tolerate heat and
humidity
Toucans
(South America)
-
Quiet and
antic
-
Prefer some live
food (rodents)
-
Highly
territorial
-
Messy, loose
droppings
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