Adopting a parrot can mean many things to a person, ranging from seeking out the joy that’s attached to raising one to having a best friend for much of your life. Parrots are emotional and social creatures, making them some of the most unprecedented pets for a person to raise and adopt.
Like any other animal, every parrot is unique to its own. Meaning their personality and traits tend to be very novel and idiosyncratic. Although there’s a broad generalization attached to the various parrot species, you still don’t know what you’re getting into unless you meet the parrot first.
Still, the types of parrots do allow a good sort of information for what’s most commonly attached to the parrot. Examples can include their health, physical traits, and what you’ll need to care for them. Plus, most experts will give you a good idea of what you can expect from their personality.
Fortunately enough, there is loads of information available for every type of parrot, meaning people can take an in-depth look at whatever parrot species they hope to adopt. Keep in mind, there are plenty of subspecies of parrots, but an excellent broad list should usually suffice in the matter.
If you’re interested in learning more about the different types of parrots, look no further. We’re going to discuss all of the main parrot species for you to take a look at. We’ll give details surrounding their physical attributes, personality, lifespan, and where they typically live. Afterward, we’ll highlight plenty of other information related to the subject. Let’s take a look!
African Greys
African greys are some of the most sought-after parrots for their incredible intelligence and ability to speak. Considering most parrot owners seek out a parrot that has high capabilities of speech, it’s no surprise African greys are as popular as they are. As a result, African greys tend to be reasonably pricey when it comes to adopting them.
As for their personality, African greys are high maintenance parrots, meaning they tend to demand a lot from their owners. They can be quite messy as well due to their relatively large size as they’re about 13 inches in length and have a weight of around 14 ounces. They have an average lifespan of 40 to 60 years when in captivity.
Amazons
The phrase Amazon parrot is a broad term to describe many parrots derived from the Amazon rainforest. These parrots tend to be very gregarious and lively parrots, as they love nothing more than to play and be entertained. Keep in mind, this means you’ll have to dedicate a decent chunk of change toward playing with them.
Size-wise, these parrots are usually 11 to 13 inches in length while weighing somewhere around 8 to 9 ounces. Amazon parrots are also quite common to adopt, as they have an average lifespan of 50 years while in captivity, making them be a part of someone’s life for a long time.
Caiques
Caiques are some of the most colorful and lovely parrots in the entire world. These beautiful parrots are extremely comical, meaning they love nothing more than to get into stuff and play with their owner. They’re also very energetic, so expect it to be a bit difficult to put them to sleep at night.
Caiques are slightly smaller than Amazons and African greys as they’re usually 9 to 10 inches in length while weighing around 5 to 6 ounces. They tend to live up to 40 years, with some living much longer depending on the lifestyle you give them. All in all, they’re excellent parrots.
Cockatiels
For yet another popular parrot species, we have cockatiels on our list. These lovely yellow-faced and orange dot parrots are some of the most popular parrots to adopt as they’re incredibly gentle, affectionate, and love being held and cuddled. It’s hard to find a more affectionate parrot.
Size-wise, cockatiels are 12 to 14 inches in length while weighing roughly 3 to 4 ounces. Although cockatiels are extremely common to adopt, they unfortunately only live 10 to 14 years. It’s always a shame when a parrot has such a short lifespan when they’re such incredible creatures.
Eclectus
An Eclectus parrot is one of the brightest colored parrots in the world, as their bright red or green complexion makes them such a captivating look by anyone. You’ll surely be amazed by their appearance as soon as you take a glance at one of them. Plus, they’re fantastic parrots too.
These parrots are extremely affectionate and intelligent, making them immensely popular to adopt for people that can manage to find a listing of one. As for their size, they’re reasonably large as they weigh around 16 ounces and tend to be approximately 14 inches in length. They have an average lifespan of 30 years.
Hawk Headed Parrots
When someone reads the phrase hawk-headed, they might imagine the parrot to be too fierce and evil in nature. However, the opposite is entirely accurate as hawk-headed parrots are unique and extremely loyal parrots, meaning they’ll protect you and be around you as much as they can be.
It might take a while to get to that level of connection with them. Still, once you can, it’s an excellent experience that makes them such superb parrots. Size-wise, these parrots are a bit smaller than you might imagine as they’re 8 to 9 ounces in weight and 12 to 14 inches in length.
Large Cockatoos
For yet another broader spectrum of parrots, we have the large cockatoo. Keep in mind, there are over 21 different cockatoo species, but this description will focus on the larger cockatoos. For example, a white cockatoo can mean a white cockatoo, which is an extremely large cockatoo that weighs 1 to 1.5 pounds and has a length of 18 inches.
Personality-wise, larger cockatoos are intelligent, playful, and mischievous. They’re also extremely loud, so expect to do what you can to quiet them down as it can be a bit much, especially at night. Either way, larger cockatoos are great pets as long as you have the room to care for them. They have an average lifespan of 40 to 60 years.
Large Conures
For yet another broader species, we have the magnificent beings of large conures. Conures are defined as a loosely defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. As we did above, we’re going to be discussing larger conures first, and take a look at smaller conures down below as there are some differences between the two.
Usually, larger conures live longer, but require much more maintenance as larger parrots tend to make more of a mess. Plus, larger conures need a more giant cage, which can be a pain to fit in your house. Nevertheless, larger conures are playful and cuddly parrots that are usually above 12 inches in length and have a weight of around 3.5 to 5 ounces. They have an average lifespan of 30 years.
Large Parakeets
For our last broader phrase regarding a large group of parrots, we have large parakeets. Parakeets come in all shapes and sizes, with some of their larger species, such as the monk parakeet being 11 inches in length while having a weight of 3 to 4 ounces.
Personality-wise, parakeets are mild and gentle, but they have been known to get upset from time to time. As long as you do what you can to ensure they’re happy and healthy, the less likely it’ll be for you to deal with these specific issues. Larger parakeets have an average lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
Lories and Lorikeets
Lories and lorikeets are smaller to medium-sized parrots that are defined by their technoscientific brush-tipped tongues for feeding on the nectar of different blossoms and soft fruits. They’re extremely cute and colorful parrots, making them incredible to adopt for that reason alone.
Unfortunately, lories only live 7 to 9 years, which is a massive shame since they’re such excellent parrots. As for their personality, lories are sweet and affectionate parrots, meaning they love nothing more than to get attention from their owner. All in all, lories are some of the cutest and best parrots a person can adopt. They’re usually 10 to 12 inches in length and have a weight of 4 to 7 ounces.
Lovebirds
Lovebirds are some of the cutest and most active, curious, feisty, and playful parrots in the entire world. Their fiery personality makes them a fun parrot to raise and live with. Keep in mind, lovebirds can be fairly demanding from their owners, so make sure you do what you can for them.
Size-wise, lovebirds are only 5 to 7 inches in length while having a weight of 1.5 to 2 ounces. Like many other smaller parrots, lovebirds have a short lifespan as they tend to only live 10 to 15 years. Still, their short life doesn’t take anything away from them being such superb parrots to raise.
Macaws
Macaws are quite common in the parrot adoption world, as they make for great companions. They’re long-tailed and colorful, making them have such a novel look to them compared to other parrot species. Although their large size might frighten you, don’t let it, as they’re some of the most playful parrots in the world.
There are many macaws in the world, with most of them falling under the large spectrum. Most macaws are 2 to 3.5 feet in length with a staggering weight of 2 to 4 pounds. As you can imagine, with a parrot their size, make sure you have enough room for them. They have an average lifespan of 50 years.
Mini-Macaws
Although macaws are most often associated with being large and intimidating with their physical stature, there is a large grouping of mini-macaws. Mini macaws have many the same characteristics as larger macaws, but as you can guess by their name, they’re much smaller.
Personality-wise, mini-macaws are a bit timider compared to standard macaws, but still are incredibly playful and loving as they feel more comfortable around you. Size-wise, min-macaws are usually around 12 inches in length with a weight of 5 to 12 ounces. They have an average lifespan of 20 to 30 years, which is much shorter than standard macaws.
New Zealand Parrot
Although not as popular to adopt worldwide, New Zealand parrots have a staggering lifespan of 95 years while in captivity, making them one of the longest living parrot species in the world. These parrots also have an odd look to them as they’re a muddy yellow and green.
As for their personality, New Zealand parrots are reasonably loud and love playing with their owner. Their appearance might say otherwise, but realize these parrots are very friendly once they get to know you. Size-wise, these parrots are enormous, as a Kakapo is 23 to 25 inches in length with a massive weight of 2 to 9 pounds once fully grown!
Parrotlets
Parrotlets are some of the most social creatures in the parrot world, primarily due to them traveling in flocks in the wild. Their physical characteristics usually consist of stocky builds and short tails, making them a compelling-looking parrot. Besides being social, parrotlets are also active with prominent personalities.
Expect to spend a lot of time with a parrotlet as they require more attention than the average parrot. As long as you can fulfill that role, you shouldn’t run into any issues. Size-wise, parrotlets are ridiculously small, being 5 inches in length with a weight floating around an ounce. They have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years, which is reasonably long for a parrot their size.
Pionus Parrots
A Pionus Parrot has some of the most unique looking physical structures as they have a chunky body, an eye-ring, and a short square tail. They’re remarkably similar to Amazon parrots but are much stockier in comparison. Still, they’re an excellent parrot to consider adopting as they’re reticent and easy-going.
As you can imagine with a quiet parrot, make sure you try not to startle them as they can get scared very easily. As for their size, a Pinous is around 9 to 10 ounces in weight, while having a length of 12 inches. They have an average lifespan of 25 years, which can range depending on their lifestyle.
Poicephalus
Besides having a difficult name to pronounce, a Poicephalus is an excellent parrot species with ten different subspecies in the group. They tend to have a combination of green and yellow across their feathers, making them a compelling-looking parrot. As for their personality, they love nothing more than to get their heads and necks scratched.
Keep in mind, you’ll have to build a relationship with your Poicephalus first, as they take a while to build up to their human counterpart. If you can do that, you’ll have an excellent parrot by your side. As for their size, they’re around 7 to 12 inches in length, with a weight of 4 to 12 ounces. They have an average lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
Small Cockatoos
As we discussed already with large cockatoos, we have the small cockatoo on our list. As mentioned, there are over 21 different cockatoo species, as this description will focus on the smaller cockatoos. Smaller cockatoos tend to be around a foot in length with 3 to 4 ounces in weight.
As for their personality, smaller cockatoos are similar to larger ones as they’re intelligent, playful, and mischievous. They tend to not be as loud as larger cockatoos, but can still make a decent amount of noise. As you can imagine, with their smaller size, they tend to only have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years.
Small Conures
As you can expect, we have smaller conures. As mentioned, conures are defined as a group of small to medium-sized parrots. Like most other smaller parrots, small conures tend to not have as long of a lifespan as larger conures. In fact, they tend to only have a lifespan of 20 or so years.
Although they’re smaller and don’t live as long, smaller conures require less maintenance than larger parrots. Smaller conures also need a smaller cage, which can be beneficial if you live in a smaller place. Personality-wise, small conures are playful and cuddly parrots that are usually under 12 inches in length and have a weight of around 3 to 4 ounces.
Small Parakeets
For our last group, we have a broad spectrum of smaller parakeets that come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller parakeets range from being only 7 inches to 10 inches in length, while larger parakeets can be just above 10 inches. As for their weight, smaller parakeets are usually around 2 to 3 ounces.
Similar to larger parakeets, smaller species are mild and gentle, making them an excellent parrot to get adopted. Keep in mind, parakeets can be fairly demanding if they don’t get what they want, so make sure you do what you can to raise them properly. They have an average lifespan of 20 years.
How many types of parrots are there?
Congratulations! You successfully read through a broad list regarding the several types of parrots. At this point, you might be wondering how many types of parrots are there. Today, approximately 350 different parrot species are roaming the earth as you read this. Pretty remarkable, right?
Throughout history, there are 402 known species of parrots, meaning there are plenty of species that went extinct years prior. There are more than likely plenty of other species we haven’t discovered yet, but if it’s not known, it can’t be recorded as a species. Still, 402 species is an extraordinary stat in and of itself.
Throughout the world, there are millions of parrots, with the Cockatiel being one the most common with over a million population-wise. In contrast, the Glaucous Macaw, New Caledonian lorikeet, Red-throated lorikeet, and Spix’s macaw have numbers that are as low as the 50s. Meaning those species face the possibility of extinction soon.
What is the most common type of parrot?
Although cockatiels are some of the most popular parrots to adopt, a budgerigar has a total population of 5 million throughout the world. Thus, they’re the most populated parrot and are quite common to adopt. It’s difficult not to find a budgerigar breeder as long as you live in a densely populated area.
As you can imagine, the price of a parrot fluctuates depending on their interest and population numbers. For example, a budgie is around $25 USD in price, whereas an Amazon grey ranges between $700 to $1,500 USD. As you can tell, the population numbers play a role as well.
In fact, some people will try to seek out a rare parrot for some kind of clout and status. Obviously, only adopt a parrot if you hope to raise them as you would with any other pet. It’s never a good idea to simply adopt an animal just for some material status to it.
How do I identify a type of parrot?
Without stating the obvious, the best way to identify a parrot is to turn to the internet. Although there is a lot of misinformation surrounding parrots online, it’s still useful to look at images for a specific kind of parrot you hope to identify. Keep in mind, there are a lot of subspecies of parrots, so you’ll have to be thorough with it all.
On the other hand, most avian vets and various parrot experts specialize in identifying a specific kind of parrot. Plus, just about every parrot breeder or pet shop will tell you the parrot species they have up for adoption. Just be mindful of the resources you can use if you need to.
Do different types of parrots have ranging caring requirements?
As you can imagine, all parrot species have varying requirements for taking care of them. Some need larger cages with a lot of cleanups, whereas others need smaller cages with more toys. All of it depends on the parrot species itself and the actual personality of the parrot you’re raising. Regardless, you should get a good idea of what you’ll need for your parrot by looking up the caring requirements for their species.