I was talking with my neighbor the other day about the noise I could hear coming from his apartment.
He has been a parrot owner for a long time but recently added a new species to his family—the Pionus parrot.
The noises I heard weren’t especially loud, I was just aware that they were definitely a new kind of noise that I wasn’t used to.
Even with my own parrots, I hadn’t heard it.
It got me wondering, though, whether Pionus parrots are generally all that loud—so I decided to look into it.
So, are Pionus parrots loud?
As parrots go, Pionus parrots are comparatively quiet. All parrots are noisy to some extent, so you need to be prepared for that. But by the standards of parrots, Pionus parrots are quiet and more reserved, making them great apartment birds.
Considered in a vacuum, when you ask the question of any parrot about whether it is loud, the answer is always yes.
Like people, though, we have different levels of tolerance for noise.
As parrots, Pionus parrots are quieter than the louder species.
Let’s look further into this.
Do Pionus parrots scream?
Yes, they do—although not as frequently as other parrots.
Screaming can mean a number of things, so it’s important to keep an eye on your parrot if it seems to be screaming a lot.
Parrots are highly individual, and some may be much noisier than others.
They can also scream for different reasons.
It might be that they are simply bored.
Make sure they have plenty of things to play with, and that you are interacting with them enough.
Parrots are highly social and highly intelligent creatures, which means they have a huge need for stimulation.
Screaming could indicate they are not getting enough.
An important question is about whether Pionus parrots do better on their own or with other birds.
Ideally, they should be kept alone, and you should set aside enough time each day to play with them and keep them from getting bored and lonely.
This could cause the screaming.
It could also be just something they do, though.
Again, though, generally speaking, they are less likely to do this than other types of parrots.
Prepare yourself for it either way, though.
You’ll have to get to know your parrot over time, so you can’t always guarantee the personality it will have.
Pionus parrots are generally recommended as good starter parrots, but keeping a parrot is never easy.
They have complex needs, and can become a real handful if they don’t get what they want.
Make sure to know what you are getting into long before you buy any parrot.
This is especially important for the amount of noise they make.
Are blue-headed Pionus parrots loud?
One of the most popular types of Pionus parrot are the blue-headed Pionus.
The same answer applies, really, to whether they are loud: as parrots go, they are quite quiet.
But that still means they are quite loud.
They also have all the same capacity for individual personality that Pionuses do generally.
You may end up with a particularly loud Pionus, you may end up with a quiet one.
Blue-headed Pionuses aren’t very different in terms of behavior from other Pionuses, so keep that in mind.
If what you want is a quiet pet, then a Pionus probably just isn’t right for you.
Can you quiet Pionus parrots down?
It depends. As I said, there will indeed be circumstances where their noise levels are a result of their behavior, and that there is something they are lacking that is causing the extra noise.
Generally speaking, this is to do with company and socialization.
You can’t quiet Pionus parrots down completely.
You can’t convince them to stop making noise entirely.
As I said, this is what parrots do—they make lots of noise.
Being sensitive to the meaning of their behaviors will come with time, though.
Once you’re familiar with your parrot, its needs, and how it communicates with you, you’ll start to get a better grasp on how to keep it happy at all times.
This will reduce the amount of noise that it makes.
Do Pionus parrots talk?
They can learn to talk somewhat, although they aren’t as confident talkers as other species.
Because of their voices, even when they do learn to talk, it’s not always easy to understand what they are saying.
Their voices are raspy and quiet, so they are not the clearest speakers in the world.
Talking in general also takes a bit more work than it does with other species.
They will need to be trained in order to pick up any more than a couple of words.
Learning to speak will take time, and it won’t be terribly impressive even when they do.
If a talking parrot is what you want, then a Pionus probably isn’t the best option.
So, the simple fact is that all parrots are loud.
Pionus parrots are no exception.
Vocalizing and making noise is part of who they are.
It’s how they communicate and keep you updated on their feelings.
That said, Pionus parrots are quieter than most other species, so you’ll definitely have an easier time with them if you prefer peace and quiet.
Again, though, don’t kid yourself—parrots are loud, and you’re going to need to be able to put up with a certain amount of noise.