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The Best Pet Bird for Beginners

Birds can be very rewarding pets, but some breeds are more challenging to take care of than others. For people who are looking to buy their first bird, it's a good idea to choose a breed that isn't too large, too noisy, too expensive or too demanding. The following list of easy-going, low-maintenance birds are all great choices for beginner bird owners.

Budgie
- Budgies are very affectionate and sociable without being overly loud, and some of them can even learn to talk. Two of the most common colors are blue and green, but there are dozens of variations. A budgie will live for around nine years.
Canary
- Canaries aren't as needy or demanding as some other birds and they don't like being handled very much, so they're an ideal bird to appreciate from afar - and that's not difficult to do as they come in a variety of beautiful colors from basic yellow to green, orange and even brown. Male canaries are wonderful songbirds too; the females however, while they're equally pretty, don't sing at all.
Cockatiel
- These small members of the parrot family are very affectionate and love to be handled and stroked. They love to whistle, and some of them even talk, but they aren't excessively noisy. The standard cockatiel colors are white and gray with yellow head feathers and orange patches on the cheeks, and there are many variations on that.
Finch
- Finches are small, lively songbirds that come in a variety of colors. They're best kept in groups of two or more, where they're more than capable of playing among themselves as opposed to constantly demanding human contact. Finches live for about four years.
Lovebird
- These pint-sized parrots are easy to care for and love to be handled. They're known for demonstrating great loyalty and affection for their families, and are well-suited to captivity due to their hardy natures. They might talk a bit, too.
Pionus Parrot
- Another excellent choice for a beginner, this breed of small parrots is colorful, curious and not too loud. They're quite an intelligent bird too, and can generally be taught to speak a few words and perform tricks.
Senegal Parrot
- Senegal parrots will readily learn to talk and can amass quite an impressive vocabulary, but their voices are gentler than some of the larger parrot breeds. The gray-green Senegal is the most popular subspecies of Poicephalus parrot, a category that also includes Meyer's, Jardine, cape, red belly, and brown head. Although not as popular as the Senegal, any of these other varieties are good choices for beginner bird owners as well.

Animals & Science