Top 5 Companion Birds

In case you want a feathered and singing companion in the house, consider the top 5 popular pet birds to start. These 5 pet bird species are the most popular among bird lovers who are after colorful, entertaining, happy birds that are easy to keep. Some of these birds are also suitable for children.

5. AFRICAN GREY

Image © parrot-training.com

The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. Their overall gentle nature and their ability to mimic speech have made them popular pets all over the world.

4. LOVEBIRD

Image ©Wikipedia

A Lovebird is one of nine species of the genus Agapornis (Greek: αγάπη agape 'love'; όρνις ornis 'bird'). Their name stems from the parrots' strong, monogamous pair bonding and the long periods in which paired birds will spend sitting together. Although small, they’re intelligent and very fun to watch. They’re not too noisy like other birds, so they’re ideal as pet birds in apartment or small house. Lovebirds are very colorful and they possess the same personality as their larger cousins, the macaws.


3. FINCH / CANARY

Image © cutehomepets.com

Image ©Wikipedia

With most varieties measuring 5 inches or less, finches (Fringillidae) and canaries (Serinus canaria) require less space than most other bird species. These little birds thrive in small flocks, and generally pay little attention to humans. This makes them perfect pets for those who love to watch birds, but would like a pet that requires minimal interaction. A healthy finch or canary can live for up to 10 years.

2. COCKATIEL*

Image © palbes.com

 The Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, is the smallest cockatoo endemic to Australia. They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed. Cockatiels love to imitate all sounds from cat meows to telephone ringing. As a caged bird, cockatiels are second in popularity only to the...

1. BUDGERIGAR

Image © geekadelphia.com

The budgerigar makes a wondeful pet for children or those who are new to keeping birds. These hardy little jewels come in an array of beautiful colors, and require less space and maintenance than larger bird species. They are quite intelligent in spite of their small size, and while most are content to whistle and sing, some have been known to learn a more than just a word or two. Average life expectancy is 12 to 14 years.

* Some sources claim that lovebirds are the rightful owner of the second place. Whether this is true or not, is up for discussion.

Source: Wikipedia, birds.about.com, cutehomepets.com

Can budgerigars and lovebirds live together?

Please take notice of this rule: all bigger parrots should never be kept together with budgerigars. Some of those bigger parrots only think of budgerigars as little pests, because they misunderstand their body language and behaviour. It takes no more than one hit with their beak to kill a budgie.

I sincerely hope that by the time you are reading this blog post, you have NOT tried to put budgerigars together with love birds. These two species don't get along at all and start fighting almost immediately, and the budgies can't possibly win the fight - they get hurt or they die.

Other reasons why you should look out with budgies and lovebirds:

• Lovebirds are known to be extremely territorial and aggressive, especially during their breeding season. Any poor little budgie who even comes near them will be chewn to pieces.
• Their beak is their most powerful weapon and the more bulky lovebirds won't hesitate to use it, which would cause deadly wounds to the budgies.
  
• Lovebirds can be so nasty that even adult macaws are scared of them.
• Budgerigars prefer the company of other budgerigars. It's that simple. You should never put their life in danger.

Providing a large aviary would offer your budgies a small chance to escape the lovebirds when they attack. Image (c) Foxlow Snapper on Flickr

While there are always exceptions in the personalities of birds, there are some generalizations that are often true. Not all small birds get along with each other either. There are budgerigars that bully eachother and try to keep others from accessing all the delicious food in the cage. Budgerigars are also known to dominate the more mild-mannered cockatiels. Luckily for the budgies, cockatiels are friendly and get along with pretty much all other small birds. But I repeat: this is NOT the case with lovebirds! They can be aggressive to both bigger and smaller birds.

In case you still want to experiment with putting two incompatible bird species together - despite all warnings - please make sure the following things are done first:

• provide a very large aviary of minimum 10 squaremeters. This would offer your budgies a small chance to escape the lovebirds when they decide on having the budgies for lunch.
• Birds that are raised together from the time they are babies can be the exceptions to these horror stories. Several people keep different species together without any incidents. But the birds are in a very large place with plenty of food and water, so there is no real need for competition.

Other posts in this series:
Can budgerigars and canaries live together?
Can budgerigars and cockatiels live together?