Beginner Guide

Budgerigars, cockatiels and green-cheeked conures are the usual recommendations. They are social, forgiving of beginner mistakes, comparatively quiet, and their 5 to 30 year lifespans are a realistic commitment for most households.

Beyond the purchase price, expect ongoing costs for food, replacement toys, annual veterinary checks and cage upkeep, plus boarding when you travel. The item people underestimate is emergency veterinary care, which can run to several hundred euro for a single visit with diagnostics.

It depends on species and country. Most parrots are CITES-listed, and species on Appendix I, such as the Hyacinth Macaw, need considerably more paperwork - in the EU that means a bird-specific Article 10 certificate for a commercial sale. Any international movement needs permits arranged in advance. Confirm with your national CITES management authority.

Some are, with supervision. Cockatiels and conures are sturdy and playful. Bear in mind that a parrot bite can break skin, that many species are loud, and that a bird bought for a child will usually still be alive long after that child has left home.

Before the bird arrives, stop using PTFE-coated cookware, secure windows and doors, cover large glass panes, disable ceiling fans, cover open water, remove toxic plants and accessible lead or zinc, and stop using aerosols, scented candles and self-cleaning oven cycles.

Whether the bird is captive-bred with documented origin, whether it is closed-rung or microchipped with matching paperwork, whether it is fully weaned, what it currently eats, whether it has seen an avian vet, and which permits apply. Never accept an unweaned chick to hand-rear yourself.