The only bird I’ve every owned is a cockatiel, but he’s really cool.
If you get one, try and get a male, the females don’t talk (at least that’s what I’ve been told).
There’s just something very funny about a bird saying “Here kitty kitty kitty” or looking in the mirror and saying “I love you Mac” (his name is Mac)
Isn’t this the truth. I still sort of flinch whenever I see lovebirds. They might be okay in an outside aviary.
Canaries! Canaries are the best birds ever, though I might be a wee bit biased. A few years ago I got my little Basilio when he retired from song competitions. He was a spanish timbrado, which has the nicest song for people who just want pretty sounds, I believe. It’s true that the males are more likely to sing if they don’t have a lady-love with them. I did get Basilio to sing upon request by whistling to get him started. You’ll be amazed at the different colors and types canaries come in.
For cages, depending upon what kind of bird you get, you might want to look into invisible netting. I’ve lost my link, darn it, but basically you can make a cage any size, shape, or place you’d like and it’s nearly invisible so it can blend into the area a little better than metal might. For Basilio’s cage I just took the panels out of an armoire and substituted the netting, then put a tray in the bottom to catch seeds and such-- looked pretty good I thought.
Female 'tiels do talk but they’re rare.
Cockatiels are the best birds–they tame easily and love to hang out on your shoulder. (This can be a little annoying–they’re kind of clingy and when you eat they just have to jump down and investigate the contents of your plate.)
Ringneck Parrots tend to be restless and mischievous–they need to have some time out of their cage because they’re very active but they also need close supervision during this time. They constantly get into things and can cause all kinds of damage if not watched (I could write a book about the trouble mine caused, ranging from property destruction to the killing of other birds.) While intelligent, they also are strong willed and not very affectionate. Not a good choice unless you want a high maintenance bird and also want to learn new swears.
Stay away from Conures if you’re in an apartment. They’re too loud.
Male peach faced lovebirds can be quite cute and funny. The females have the personality of Charles Manson on PCP. (I used to have to wear leather gloves to feed one of mine, and she could still nail me through the leather.)
Soapbox time: If you get a parrot, remember that they are highly intelligent social animals, not decorations or live tape recorders. They need your companionship or that of other birds–otherwise they become neurotic. And they can live quite a long time.
I have a pair of zebra finches - male and female - and they get along great. I find the near-constant “meeping” enchanting, and the male (Bogie) will often puff up and sing his little mating song, then peck the female (Bacall) on the head. I put some toys in their cage; their favorite is the chain of plastic rings with the bell on the end, they’ll grab the top of the bell and shake hell out of it. The other day Bogie was sitting on the edge of the food dish, and Bacall came up behind him and grabbed his tail with her beak. He jumped down and started hopping all over the floor of the cage while she hung on and slid along behind him like a tiny feathered water-skier.
When I’m all tense and worked up in the morning after a crappy night at work, watching the Beepers for a few minutes calms me right now. Eventually I want to get a bigger cage and introduce another pair or two of finches, or maybe some canaries. They do make noise pretty much all the time, though (ranging from a soft “eep” to an ear-splitting EEEEEEEEEEEP!!!) so you probably don’t want to put them near your bedroom.
We’re not really bird people – we’ve got cats, and we travel sometimes, so never had any birds in the house. Anyway, mrs. Danalan really enjoyed the company of a cockatiel she took care of at work in a nursing home. It had quite a personality, and was just very pleasant to be around.