Nobody would ever ignore a group of colorful birds, especially if those birds can talk. In this post let’s get acquainted with interesting 15 parrot breeds you would surely love to own.
1. Monk Parakeet
Also regarded as Quaker parrots, monk parakeets, are a species characterized by a small, bright-green appearance. They often have a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. With an average lifespan of 20–30 years, they are known to originate from the surrounding countries in South America.
Throughout the generations, Monk parakeets are known to thrive in self-sustaining feral populations. Though some view monk parakeets as problems, it wouldn’t be too bad at all to keep them at home since they are known to show amusing behavior as well as most endearing parrots.
2. Timneh
As a medium-sized parrot, the feathers of Timnehs are usually mottled grey, with pale yellow eyes and a seemingly white face mask. One of the notable traits of a Timneh parrot is being less nervous and more outgoing in the presence of people. Compared to most parrots, they can already talk even at a young age.
Sometimes they are found to thrive in cultivated gardens. Timneh flocks may make movements out of the driest parts of forests seasonally if the dry season is approaching.
3. Kakariki
Kakarikis are subspecies native to New Zealand and are among the most notable birds in the area. They have become endangered due to the habitat destruction that heavily took place in addressing human settlement demands.
Expert Tip: DNA analysis has indicated that the orange-fronted parakeet is a separate species and not just a color variation of the yellow-crowned parakeet. This means that having them as pets would allow you to gaze at a variety of color variations before actually picking one.
4. Rose-Ringed Parakeet
As early as the 19th century, the rose-ringed parakeet has successfully made its way into human socialization. Because they are bred farther north than any other parrot species, their kind is well-established largely in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy.
Rose-ringed parakeets are among the few parrot species that have successfully merged in disturbed habitats and have bravely withstood urbanization and deforestation to the harshest degrees.
Both male and female parakeets have a distinctive green color in the wild, and captive-bred neck rings. Through cross-breeding, they have multiple color mutations.
5. Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot
These parrots inhabit the Pacific coast south of Mexico and have extended farther into Central America. It is has been recently been reclassified as Critically Endangered
The yellow-naped amazon parrots are characterized by their green forehead and crown, with a yellow band across the lower nape, thus the name. Their eyes are orange, while their beaks are dark gray, but appear paler towards the base of their upper mandibles.
These parrots are vocal in behavior based on the extensive studies experts have on them. Such behavior manifests by means of vocal dialects, in which they mimic a repertoire that calls other similar parrots.
6. Caique
They are a species of long lifespans as they can live up to 40 years. Weighing at around 150–170 grams, they are stocky and small, with a rather short, square-shaped tail, with very bright colors.
Originally, Caiques are named “Pionites” and were classified as two groups of species, the white-bellied parrot and the black-headed parrots. But due to recent morphological studies, there is a consensus that the white-bellied parrot should be separated into three species based on feather and leg coloration.
During feeding times, at least two caique members of the flock act as guards or sentries which makes them a very interesting breed.
7. Conure
“Whether you want to keep them for the visual appeal or due to your fascination with talking pets, you’re given an array of parrots to choose from.” Conures are lightly built with long tails and small beaks, though as a subspecies of parakeets, they are quite large for their kind.
The beaks of conures are usually horn-colored with either gray or black. Plenty of conure species lives in flocks of 20 or more birds. They often eat grain which makes them appear to be treated as agricultural pests in some places. In size and appearance, they are very similar to Afro-Eurasia’s rose-ringed parakeets.
Expert Tip: Conures are often regarded as “the clowns of the parrot world” because they are viewed as attention-seekers. Their activities cause their feeding needs to vary depending on activity level, or mental health.
8. Pionus
They are very similar to Amazon parrots but smaller in wing strokes and flight movement. Under bright lighting, their feathers shimmer with a distinctive glow and brilliance.
Pionus parrots are hailed by many owners as excellent pets. Prices for acquiring them might be steep though because some of their species are very rare in captivity. When stimulated with excitement Pionus parrots may wheeze or snort. They may also give off a sweet or musky odor that could be very amusing for their owners.
9. Eclectus
The Eclectus is an unusual breed in the parrot family. This is mainly due to their “marked visible plumage colors.” To put it simply, they have a range of coloration that is strikingly different from other similar species.
Measuring around 35 cm in length, Electuses are stocky and short-tailed parrots. Males are mostly yellow-tinge on the head, with a bright green color overall. Large populations of the Electuses remain to this day, in spite of being hunted down by some farmers because they are sometimes viewed as pests.
10. Senegal
Senegals have large beaks and heads relative to their overall size. Their feathers form a short broad tail. Adults Senegals have a charcoal-grey beak and head and have bright yellow eyes. They often appear with greenback and throat, and some strands of yellow on their underparts and rump areas.
As of these times, there are around 9 subspecies of Senegals that are known. They appear as a mystery among the other parrot breeds in the sense that the whole cataloged data of them still need in-depth reviewing. In some regions, access to Senegals is quite hard due to geographical or political reasons.
11. Cocktail
The most popular Cocktail variant is the “normal grey” with feathers that are typically grey, with white highlights on the outer edges of each wing. The face of the Cocktail male is white or yellow, while the face of the female is mostly light grey.
The cockatiel’s mysterious crest is known to express the pet’s emotional state. This crest appears vertical when the parrot is excited or startled. When the crest appears gently oblique, it is in a neutral or relaxed state. When it is flattened and close to the head, it means the parrot is on a defensive mode.
12. Macaw
Macaws are distinctive as they show facial patches that are smaller than other species. Their most interesting fact is that their facial feather pattern is as unique as humans have fingerprints.
A great majority of the Macaw population is now endangered in the wild while a few of them are already extinct. They are native to North and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Most Macaw species are associated with rainforests. Other breeds however may prefer the woodlands or savannah-like habitats.
13. Cockatoo
The word cockatoo originates from the 17th century and is actually helms from the Dutch “kaketoe.” Cockatoos are distinguishable by their curved beaks and prominent crests. Their feathers are generally less colorful compared to other parrots. Mostly, they can be seen as plainly white, black, or grey and are larger than other parrots on average.
Expert Tip: Cockatoos require daylight to find their food. Interestingly though, they are not early risers. They often wait until the sun has totally given warmth to the area before feeding.
14. Dusky Lory
As a short-tailed parrot breed, the Dusky Lory is around 25 cm long. Typically, they are brownish in color and have a whitish rump and back. Their eyes are red, while their legs are grey. Both males and females of the species are very identical in appearance.
Their young are often yellowish in their back and rump feathers, with yellow-grey eyes. The beaks of their small ones are yellow at the base and are darker towards the tip. The habitats of the Dusky Lories are tropical or subtropical moist lowland forests. They are pretty good at living in places that are warm for most people.
15. Rainbow Lorikeet
The rainbow lorikeet is a medium-sized parrot. Their heads are dark blue with a yellow-green collar, the rest of the upperparts, and their wings, backs, and tails are all green. Their chests are often yellow-orange. Their bellies are deep blue, while their thighs and rump are usually green.
Typically, both male and female lorikeets are similar in appearance. Lorikeets are fond of traveling together in pairs and may occasionally respond to calls from other groups so they can fly as a flock. They may also pair with others along the way so they can defend their young from predators.
Conclusion
Whether you want to keep them for the visual appeal or due to your fascination with talking pets, you’ve just been given an array of parrots to choose from. Hope this list is able to help you weigh down your options on which is the best one to pick.
