My family has decided to get our first bird. What are the best bird companions for first timers?

My family has decided to get our first bird. What would be the best bird companion for first timers? We love birds, but would prefer an avian friend that will bond with us, and not just a finch, canary, or parakeet that looks pretty in a cage.

cockatiel.

Try a cockatiel.. something that isn't TOO expensive while you get used to taking care of a bird.

http://www.petbirdpage.com/ African Gray Parrot-very smart

parakeets do bond, very strongly and can learn to talk if kept as a single bird. If you are first time bird owners that would be my only recommendation unless you do some strong research into larger birds. Larger parrots need a lot of attention. They need someone home for a lot of the day or at least loads of toys and stimulation. Without intellectual stimulation they get bored and get ill, feather picking and refusing to eat. etc etc etc... so not as to bore you with too much detail... get a parakeet, they are awesome.. still love attention, need daily care, and bond with their human counterparts!

http://birds.about.com/od/adoptingabird/tp/birdsgoodpets.htmThis website was awesome. It tells you how to care for the birds and toward the end of the page it gives you links to other pages on how to pick the best bird for you and your family. Good Luck and have fun with your new pet.

I'd vote for a cockateil too. I used to raise them and handfed them from since they were 7-8 weeks old. They are darling and if you get a very young bird, it will bond with you. You can even adopt an older bird from petfinder.com that is tame. Just select bird and put in your zip code. Cockateils can live for 20-25 years if cared for properly, and they don't require much care. I have one right now that is close to 20 years old.

try a parakeet

I have a cockatiel - she is my second. She has bonded to me extremely well. I would suggest you get a cockatiel from a breeder - one that you have to feed pablum (sp?) to for the first week or so. I hand-fed mine for the first couple of weeks and they have been so attached. They are EXCELLENT pets - such personalities! If you have any questions, email me at [email protected] luck on your search for a new pet - I think it is great that you are doing research!!!

Cockatiel.....you cannot go wrong there. They are wonderful birds, easy to train and easy to look after.

COCKATIELS BY FAR!

When I was 7 i got a quaker parrot. It was a meduim sized bird, it was always friendly, it hardly ever squaked and always let u pick it up. (i was also a first timer when i got this bird)

A Meyers Parrot. They are a member of the Poicephalus family and are very similar to Senegals, only slightly smaller. I have two and they are the BEST! Very friendly and outgoing. Only drawback is that they can be startled easily and set into a phobia with movements that are too fast or sudden surprises. So if you get one, remember to never move too quickly around him/her at first.Meyers are sweet parrots. Very pretty. Small. Good talkers and FANTASTIC at mimicry. They can any telephone/cellphone ring NOT the songs- just the ring tones), microwaves, doorbells, other bird song (such as Budgie, Sparrow, Cockatiel, Finch, Canary), and are not too noisy. Some of their whistles can be high pitched, but it's nothing compared to a Cockatoo scream. And I have one of those too. hahaha..Anyway, it doesn't matter if you get a boy or a girl. Both sexes make excellent pets and great first time birds. They don't take up too much room either. Not much more than a Cockatiel.

cockatiel!I had a Cockatiel, she passed away recently, but she was such a great bird! Cockatiels are pretty inexpensive and easy to care for, but they do form a stong bond with their owners. They can put on quite a show, they can whistle and even talk a little.

i would say a cockatail or a parakeet.

Get a young bird that is "hand-fed." This means the bird was fed by humans for a while before it was weaned; it will already have a bond with humans. I think the cockatiel is the easiest to get to bond with you, but a parakeet (budgie) can also be very good if it is hand-fed. If you want to go to the trouble, the closest bond is formed when you buy the baby bird shortly before it is weaned, and hand-feed it yourself. The most common way to obtain such a bird is through the breeder who will tell you how to hand-feed and wean the bird. They often advertise in the newspaper and elsewhere. Most pet-store birds are not hand-fed, or well socialized, but some are. You can always ask. Often cockatiels, if handled as babies, are very tame when weaned even if they are not hand-fed.If you really want the bird for a companion with a strong bond to you, get only one bird and spend at least an hour a day with it. If you find that you can't regularly spend time with it, get it another bird.

cockatails are good birds

finches. there also easy to breed. there small but there beautiful. the zebra breed. they chirp. and it's not really loud. i have two that talk.

If you're thinking of a larger bird, after you go through most people's list of concerns, like biting potential, noise, size and temperment, a hand-fed Pionus tops of the list. I had Grey first and I wouldn't trade him for the whole world. They're a little more complicated. The bonds that parrots make are very strong. Ours love tickles and belly rubs and raspberries on the chest (takes a lot of young training though, because those are areas birds aren't used to sharing in the wild). Conures are loud and sassy, but so funny and quick to learn. Quakers are cute and inexpensive, but they're loud and they're illegal in many states! Macaws sound like pteradactyls, and the largest ones can apply 800 lbs of pressure per square inch with their beaks, so even though big birds are usually the most gentle, they aren't apartment birds, and they may not be the best to have around children.Come talk to some of the bird owners here about their different birds to find out what you're in for. They have all kinds and they know where to get great deals: http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/

Cockatiel