Birds Coo
Parrots can be some of the best types of pet birds you can have in your household. They are fun, amazing, friendly, silly, and compassionate creatures that you will surely love to have around. In that regard, you will always enjoy having a parrot as your first pet bird since they are not only fantastic pets but are also easier than most other pet birds to take care of.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of parrot species available in the market. If you do not know how to identify the type of parrot that you have or are willing to take care of, you might make a mistake when you are taking care of it since different species of parrots tend to have different care requirements. As such, to make things easier for you, we are here to help you identify your parrot type so that you never have to mistake it for another.
Budgerigar
Also called the Budgie, Budgerigars are small types of parrots that actually belong to the Parakeet family. Budgies are some of the most popular types of parrots to have because they look cute and adorable due to their small size and cuddly shape. While they are considered parrots, Budgies tend to be smaller than your conventional parrot and also smaller than most other types of Parakeets.
You can identify a parrot as a Budgie just by looking at the bird. Again, Budgies tend to be quite small and are usually somewhere close to seven inches in terms of length. Most of these birds are also somewhere close to green or yellow in terms of color, but there are a lot of different budgies that come in various colors as well probably due to some sort of a genetic mutation
Aside from its size and color, a Budgie can be identified based on how the beak looks. Budgies have beaks that are quite small compared to the usual beak that most parrots have. They also have colored ceres, which most parrots do not usually have. In that regard, Budgies are quite easy to zero out in comparison to a lot of other parrots and Parakeets. They tend to be some of the easier parrots to identify as they have qualities that tend to be distinct.
Lovebirds
Lovebirds are also some of the more common types of parrots in the avian community. These birds tend to be popular, particularly because of their social and very compassionate nature and due to how they are usually bought in pairs since they require a partner or a friend of sorts (hence the name Lovebird). Lovebirds have a lot of different subspecies, but they all usually look the same except for their color and facial features.
Lovebirds come in a lot of different color combinations. Lilian’s Lovebird is commonly the most popular variety of Lovebirds. This one comes with a body that is dark green but lightens in coloration in its belly and head area. Its face is usually orange or light red in color and may have hints of yellow near its head as well. Some other Lovebirds have black cheeks, grey heads, and black wings.
In terms of size, Lovebirds are quite small and are somewhere close to five or seven inches in terms of length. However, they have a build that is quite stocky, which gives these birds their cuddly look. Meanwhile, unlike Parakeets, Lovebirds come with beaks that are larger in comparison to other types of parrots. Their beaks are also quite sharp.
Macaws
Native to the Americas, Macaws are not only some of the more popular types of pet birds in the entire avian community, but they are also some of the easiest to identify and spot. That is because Macaws tend to have a specific and unique appearance that really makes them stand out from the rest of the pack regardless of whatever species they may be.
If you want to identify your parrot’s type to check if whether or not it is a Macaw, you have to look at its size. These parrots tend to be quite larger than most others and are usually more than five times the size of a normal Budgie. Macaws grow up to 40 inches long and are really some of the larger types of parrots out there in the market.
The Macaws plumage also gives it a distinct appearance. Parrots that are bright and colorful are most likely Macaws, especially if they have colors that are bright blue, yellow, red, green, or a combination of all or some of those colors. The blue and yellow Macaw is actually one of the more popular types of Macaws in the world and can grow to up to three feet long. These birds have black beaks that look big and strong compared to other types of parrots.
Cockatoo
Found in places such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and the continent of Australia, this bird the Cockatoo is arguably the easiest type of parrot to determine in terms of type. The reason for such is the crest of feathers that can be found on top of the bird’s head. If the parrot has this iconic crest, then it is most likely a Cockatoo. The crest is actually quite unique in the sense that the Cockatoo can raise or flatten it at will, depending on how it is feeling. You can easily tell how the Cockatoo is feeling just by looking at its crest.
Cockatoos usually have a plumage that is close to white but may also be pink, black, or even yellow. The crest should resemble a fan. Meanwhile, Cockatoos are usually medium to large-sized parrots but are rarely larger than the large-sized Macaw.
African Grey Parrot
African Grey Parrots may have physical traits that are similar to a lot of parrots, but what makes this bird stand out and easy to determine in terms of type is its color. As the name suggests, African Grey Parrots have plumages that are literally grey. However, they also have a reddish tail. Those two qualities will immediately give out the African Grey Parrot. So, if your bird already has two, that means that it is an African Grey Parrot.
Aside from its color, African Grey Parrots also have a mask around their eyes and have beaks that look big and strong. Meanwhile, these birds are not really too big as they can grow to up to 13 inches long. Nevertheless, they are some of the most popular parrots in the world because of their unique beauty.
Amazon Parrot
One of the most beautiful parrots in the entire world, the Amazon Parrot, is native to South America and has features that will allow you to identify it quickly. If your parrot has a green coloring that is similar to a Lovebird’s plumage but has a body that is a lot larger, then it is most likely an Amazon Parrot. These parrots are usually greenish in color but can have a lighter shade of green or a yellowish head. They may also have some splashes of other colors, such as red near or around its wings.
Conclusion
Knowing what type of parrot you have should not be rocket science and should not be too difficult. After all, there are plenty of differences between one parrot and another. Looking at the physical characteristics as well as how the parrot behaves can very well easily point out the type of parrot that you have. But if you still have doubts, why not take a trip to a parrot expert or a vet to know for sure.
