Parakeets
Parakeets originate from South Eastern Asia. They range in size from 7 to 12 inches long. They come in a wide range of colours, such as dark green, white, yellow, light blue, violet, and a variety of combinations of these colours.

Cockatiels
Cockatiels originate from Australia. They grow to be about 12 or 13 inches long. The most common colours are:

• Grey on the body, with a yellow (male) or grey (female) head, and black feathers underneath the tail.
• White or creamy yellow body, with orange patches on the cheeks.

Parrotlets
Parrotlets originate from Central and South America. They grow to be no more than 6 inches long. They come in a variety of colours, including blue-green, bright green, and dark green.

Conures
Conures originate from South and Central America. They grow to be about 11 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations, including:

• Predominantly green, with a red head and wings, and yellow tail.
• Predominantly lime green, with a tan head, and a light maroon tail.
• Predominantly yellow and red, with a dark head.
• A breast made up of several bright colours, with a tan head, and a lime green back.

Lovebirds
Lovebirds originate from Africa. They grow to be about 5 or 6 inches long. They are primarily green, but they come in a multitude of colour combinations, that are too numerous to mention.

Macaws
The Macaw originates from Central and South America. They vary a great deal in size – anything from 12 to 39 inches long. They come in a wide variety of colours, which is clearly indicated by the names given to some of the Macaw species (e.g. Blue and Gold Macaw, Red and Yellow Macaw, Greenwing Macaw, Maroon Macaw, Red and Blue Macaw, Red Fronted Macaw etc…).

Amazons
Amazons originate from Central and South America, and some Caribbean Islands. They vary in size from 12 to 16 inches long. They are mainly green, with various colour combinations on the cheeks, crown and shoulders.

Cockatoos
Cockatoos originate from Australia, and North Western Asia. They vary in size between 12 and 27 inches long. The most common colour is white, but there are some variations that are tinged with pink or yellow, with a different coloured crest.

Caiques
Caiques originate from the Amazon Rainforest. They grow to be about 11 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations including yellow, white, blue, green, black, and orange.

Poicephalus Parrots
Poicephalus parrots originate from Africa. They vary in size between 5 and 13 inches long. They come in a variety of colour combinations including:

• Green and orange, with a grey head.
• Grey, with a blue or green chest, and yellow markings on the head and wings.
• Fawn brown, with a red chest (male) or with a orange or green chest (female).
• Emerald green, with black wing feathers, and red or orange markings on the head, wings and socks.
• Olive green, with a wine coloured head.

So there you have it – a really brief overview of the various types of parrots. Hopefully, If you are looking for your first parrot you will find this information to be really useful.

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Types of Parrots

The Blue Fronted Amazon is predominantly green, but they have blue feathers on their forehead – hence the name. They also typically have yellow feathers on their face, and on the top of their head.

They enjoy human interaction, but they will often only bond with one person. They can also keep themselves amused when you aren’t around, provided that they have sufficient toys to play with. Many of them will become really good talkers, but some of them won’t talk at all. However, regardless of whether or not your pet becomes a talker, you can virtually guarantee that he will be good singer and mimicker, and he will enjoy using this talent frequently – you have been warned!

If you like a fun and playful parrot, the Blue Fronted Amazon is a good choice of pet for you. They are born performers, which explains why this species is so often used in bird shows.

photo credit: Zemlinki!

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The Blue Fronted Amazon

Parrot experts are divided about whether or not (other than size) there are any real differences between these two sub-species of African Grey. Therefore, any differences that do exist are really subtle, so they shouldn’t have any bearing on whether you choose a Timneh or a Congo – they both make fantastic pet parrots!

African Grey Parrots are renowned for their high-intelligence, and their fantastic talking abilities. They make really good pets, because they are very sociable birds, which thrive on human attention. However, these attributes can also lead to problems, because if you don’t give an African Grey the amount of attention it requires, it will become very bored, which can very quickly develop into behavioral problems. So, if you want to avoid your pet becoming aggressive, or plucking out his feathers, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time interacting with him.

Whether you choose a Timneh African Grey, or a Congo African Grey, you won’t be disappointed. Give him the care and attention he requires, and you will have a loving and amusing companion for many years.

photo credit: diana_dee_sophia

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Timneh African Grey

They have grey feathers on on their head, and down to the top of their chest. On their lower abdomen is a yellow, or orange-yellow, v-shaped section. The upper abdomen is bright green, the underside of the wing and tail is a bright yellow, and the upper tail feathers are brown-green.

The Senegal Parrot is very similar to the Conure Parrot in that he is a very playful and fun-loving parrot. This means that Senegals need lots of toys to avoid them becoming bored. Even though they are quiet by parot standards, they do make a variety of noises, and they often become good talkers. They are very popular pet parrots, because they enjoy human-contact, and are usually very affectionate to their owners.

photo credit: Tam1963

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Senegal Parrots

One important thing to be aware of regarding African Grays, is that you should only buy one of these parrots if you are willing to spend a lot of time interacting with him. This is because their very high-level of intelligence means they can become bored very easily, and this boredom can result in lots of behavioral problems such as aggression, biting, and self-mutilation.

On the other hand, if you can provide them with the attention they require, African Grays make very rewarding pet parrots. They love and thrive off human interaction; they usually become fantastic talkers; and they will provide you and your family with hours of fun and amusement.

photo credit: τoo swεετ ™

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African Gray Parrot

They are very good mimics, which usually (but not always) means that they become good talkers. They can occasionally be a bit noisy if they are not given enough fuss and attention by their human family, but on the whole they are a reasonably quiet parrot. Note: Having more than one eclectus usually increases the noise level significantly!

Eclectus parrots normally have very few behavioral problems, so they are usually a joy to own. However, like most parrots, they are more than capable of nipping you, if they haven’t been properly socialized by the breeder, or if you aren’t treating and/or handling them correctly.

If you are looking for an intelligent, affectionate, and pretty ‘feathered companion’, you won’t go far wrong with an Eclectus Parrot!

photo credit: BékiPeti

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Eclectus Parrot

Sun Conures originate from South and Central America. They grow to be about eleven inches long, from the top of their head to the tip of their tail. Their bodies and heads are predominantly bright orange/yellow, but their tails and wings can come in a variety of colours.

Conures are often referred to as the ‘clown’ of the parrot world, because they have big, fun-loving personalities. They are very playful, and always on the go, and need lots of toys to keep them amused. They can be quite noisy, so you need to be prepared for that, but the benefit of this is that they often make very good talkers.

They are usually very happy to be handled, and they are very affectionate. However, they are strong-willed, and they can be stubborn, which means you have to be gently firm when training them. Be prepared to be nipped, but you will usually be given a warning by your Conure, which takes the form of ‘beaking’ (i.e. holding your flesh in his beak, without applying any pressure).

photo credit: Moosh Be

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Sun Conures

• A curved beak.
• An erect stance.
• Four toes on each foot – two at the front, and two at the rear.

The Psittacines group is sub-divided into the following main types of parrots:

• Parakeets.
• Cockatiels.
• Parrotlets.
• Conures.
• Lovebirds.
• Macaws.
• Amazons.
• Cockatoos.
• Caiques.
• Poicephalus Parrots.

Even though the above birds are all parrots, their size and characters vary enormously. Therefore, if you are in the market for a pet parrot, it is very important for you to take a bit of time to study them properly, to find out which is the perfect parrot for you, for your family, and for the size of your home.

Trust me – this small investment of your time will pay very large dividends!

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How Many Species of Parrots Are There?