Pionus Parrots

Pionus are not extremely well-known as pet parrots, but it is well worth taking a closer look at them.

Compared with some other parrots, the Pionus is not brightly coloured, but when you really look at the birds, you can see the beauty in their feathers as well as their personality.

The Pionus is a mid-sized parrot with a short tail, that originates from Central and South America. They are generally one of the quieter birds, especially compared to some similar sized parrots. They do not have the talking ability that compares to the African Grey Parrots or Amazon Parrots, but they can and do talk. The Pionus is one bird that is excellent if you reside in an apartment complex as it is unlikely that you will receive noise complaints from other tenants.

These birds are usually quite content to quietly play on their own and do not have a need to spend as much time with their owners as some other parrots do. If you want a bird to cuddle, these may not be the birds for you.

They need toys that they can chew and destroy and they need room to move around in their cage. When outside the cage, they enjoy time on a playstand and if you allow them freedom of flight, they will take ocassional flights around the room.

Pionus are normally good eaters that are willing to try most foods offered.

Although there are several different Pionus species, I could only find information on six of them.

Blue Headed Pionus – green with a blue head and neck and red undertail coverts.
Maximilian (or Scaly Headed) Pionus – green with a specked head and red undertail coverts
White cap (or White Headed or White Crowned) Pionus – dark green and dark blue with white forehead, crown and throat and red undertail coverts
Bronze Wing Pionus – dark bronze-green with red undertail coverts, dark blue on rump, tail and wings and dark blue/green on head.
Coral (or Red) Billed Pionus – green with a maroon belly
Dusky Pionus – grey with blue tail feathers and red undertail coverts and some pink on breast.

Before deciding on any particular species, it is wise to research as much as possible. Here are a couple of books from amazon.com for you to look at.