AboutChrys Meatyard Expertise I`ve been raising/breeding/handfeeding/selling parrots for over 20 years (parakeets/budgies, cockatiels, 6 subspecies of conures, parrotlets, amazons, lovebirds, etc.). I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England. I can provide advice in raising healthy birds, handfeeding/weaning babies, some health problems, nail/beak/wing clipping, general husbandry, etc. I also have experience with racing/showing homing pigeons. I cannot diagnose specific illness over this website. If you suspect your bird is ill or if you have an emergency, contact a certified avian veterinarian or emergency pet clinic ASAP.
Experience Experience: Over 20 years raising parrots and over 13 years raising pigeons. Organizations: Currently, American Racing Pigeon Union. Prior member Miami Valley Bird Club, Southern Ohio Pigeon Association, National Cockatiel Society, Miami Valley Sportsman's Club, others. Publications: Monthly newsletters of bird clubs.
Education/Credentials American Federation of Aviculture, completed Level I course, Fundamentals of Aviculture. Keeping/breeding parrots and other birds for over 20 years.
Question Hi Chrys,
I'd be really grateful for your advice.
I have two sun conures, 6 yrs old which I've had since they were very young. Until last year they were in a large cage in the house and we had them out for about an hour a day - but eventually the screeching became too much! I had a 20 foot x 12 foot outdoor aviary (with indoor section) built and they, and now we(!) are really happy. I would like to put more birds in as, obviously, this is a rather large aviary for just two birds! We would like, though, to have more birds that don't screech and, preferrably, sing. When we looked after someone's budgie a couple of years ago, the conures started imitating it and were great to listen to.
We live in the Channel Islands i.e. slightly milder climate than the UK but not that much.
Could you suggest the sort of birds we might be able to consider?
Thank you so much for your advice.
Andy
Answer Hi, Andy,
Yes, conures can be loud parrots! However, not all conures are screechers. Screeching (other than typical morning and evening calling to the flock) usually indicates something is amiss. Your question is always a hard question to answer because successfully mixing different species of parrots together really depends on the personalities of the individual birds involved. Each bird is as different as humans are different. There are no guarantees when it comes to parrots. I could recommend particular species of birds, but the particular parrot you select of the species could be completely incompatible with your conures.
Cockatiels are nice birds and the males have a very nice song. They don't "screech" like conures or the larger parrots do. Budgies/parakeets are nice birds as well and mainly sing or have softer sounds. Monk (Quaker) parakeets, indian ringnecks.....this size of parrots I would recommend......parrots around the same size as your conures.
There are hundreds of different types of parrots, so your best bet would be to attend local bird fairs/shows/auctions where you can see a variety of parrots and talk to the owners/breeders, search the internet in order to learn about different species, read literature, contact a local avian veterinarian for some recommendations/information, etc. The archives of this website might be a good source of information about different species of parrots and the problems owners run into.
