How loud are Green Cheek Conures?

I'm interested in buying my first bird, and the Green Cheek Conure keeps coming up at or near the top of my list. I'm looking for something small, funny, affectionate, intelligent, etc. My biggest concern, however, is noise. I've heard time and time again that conures tend to be very loud, but also that GCCs are not very loud and are suited for apartments. I live in very close proximity to my neighbors (whom I will be okaying the bird with before I get it), so I'm hoping to find a bird that won't be too loud.

Because "loudness" is relative, I'll try to be more specific. What kind of noises do they generally make? How often do they screech? How far away can you hear them from? Do they chatter or just make noise at certain times? Do you find the noise distracting?
Thank you in advance!

I don't think green cheeks are too loud. They are nothing like the aratinga conures and Nandays who give the conure families their loud rep. However, when mine gets started, he usually carries on for awhile.

He's not a chatterer. Usually when he is making noise it is pleasant: he talks, makes clicky and growly noises, kisses, and makes whistles he learned from me. He uses his voice and charm to get attention. He squawks when he gets scared or irritated (or I'm on the phone, but I think that is because he's irritated that he's not getting that attention). When we lived in apartments, most people never knew I had birds.

You ask how loud they are but admit it's realitive, so I'm not sure what you expect to hear from us. An unhappy bird can scream it's head off no matter how quiet it is, because that's what birds do. In all honesty, I'd wait until you got out of the dorm situation before considering a conure solely due to size and care. The cage has to be rather large for such a confined space, they aren't exactly "tiny" cage birds like the pet stores try to say.

It's like betta fish- they say they love in .5 gallons fine in tiny cubes- in reality a betta is only happy at 5+ gallons with filters and plenty of hiding places. Conures and budgies are the same.

You'd have to worry constantly about air fresheners, candles, teflon, pesticides... A dorm is just not a safe place for a bird, sound excluded. All those things are dangerous, and someone could innocently try to knock out the smell with a candle and you suddenly have a sickly bird. I'm not sure how good the air filtration would be even with a purifier, the next dorm over may go a bit crazy with air fresheners one day or call for roach killer... And you have a sick bird.

If you really want one, I'm not saying don't get one, just wait until you have an apartment and can monitor the setting. Green cheeks do scream, all birds do, it's how they communicate. "It's time to eat" "it's time to sleep" "wake up everyone" "hey look at that thing" -- all chirps. Some people really prefer larger bird sound over small bird sound due to the fact the pitch is lower despite being louder.

It's really up to you, but that's my two cents.

What kind of noises do they generally make?
Kind of varies on the individual. Some chatter, some talk, some scream, some do all three.

How often do they screech?
Also dependent on the bird... some may be happy all day long and never screech, some may screech only once or twice during the day (mornings and maybe evenings?), some may screech all day long.

How far away can you hear them from?
At least a couple doors down or maybe further.... if we're talking apartment living.

Do they chatter or just make noise at certain times?
Again, dependent on bird...

Do you find the noise distracting?
I don't have one, so I can't exactly answer this question, but the two conures I do have, well they can be pretty loud! Particularly Charlie, the mitred. I'm thankful that he's not a sun conure, as their screams are even louder! Well, a sun conure (and jendays, gold caps and nandays) have a higher pitched scream where-as Charlie, although loud, it's not high pitched. As long as both are happy though, they aren't terrible!

Green cheeks, in comparison, just sound cute! LOL

I have two lovebirds, and just adopted a Pearly Conure. My conure is very quiet compared to my lovebirds. She makes a low quacking noise as her most common sound. It can only be heard if you're in the same room as her. Her loudest sound is a squeak, which she makes when our front or back door opens. It's loud if you're in the house, but not from outside. I think the noises that would bother neighbors would be constant high-pitch chirps, which I don't think are common from Green Cheeks. (My lovebirds are famous for constant high-pitch chirps, and my neighbors didn't know I had birds until I asked if they could hear them. I live in a townhouse.)

Speaking from experience, as the others said, it depends a LOT on the bird. Also, however, if the bird becomes really attached to you, he or she will lose it's mind when you leave the room. My Green Cheeked Conure, Cricket, has begun to do that, and is driving my mother crazy. However, as long as I'm by him and he can see me, he's okay for the most part.

At their loudest, they can hit some high pitches which are definitely audible through walls. Cricket woke me up at 6:30 this morning because he was mad I wasn't downstairs yet (my bedroom is upstairs, he's downstairs)...
At their quietest, they are absolutely adorable and makes everyone want one. So, I would visit the one you want to get very often so that you can have a good idea of all-around personality and noise level.

I swear my male Parakeet is much louder than my Black capped conure. They are really only loud when I take the covers off in the morning. Most of the noise is from My parakeet. Yeah my little conure can be loud but it is not bad. My Senegal was much louder and had more of an annoying screech sounds than my Conure.

It does all depend on the bird. For the most part they are very quite. Most of the time I don't hear my conure at all. All birds can be loud they are birds even the smallest Chickadee can be heard from very far away. The green cheek sound level is very tolerable from most people. They also are not loud all the time so that is nice.

I love the sounds my conure makes. They are cute sounds.

My GCC was never loud, an occasional loud call that lasted 15 seconds. Was a quiet chatterer. I miss my GCC so much, best little birds in my opinion.

Slightly off-topic, but...

MANNNNN! Everybody loves these little Green Cheeks!
They must be awesome little folks. I've never met one, but I'll look for an opportunity. Meanwhile, YouTube will have to do. They really ARE a lot of bird in a small package.

GaleriaGila said:

Slightly off-topic, but...

MANNNNN! Everybody loves these little Green Cheeks!
They must be awesome little folks. I've never met one, but I'll look for an opportunity. Meanwhile, YouTube will have to do. They really ARE a lot of bird in a small package.

Click to expand...

You never met one? It might be better that way, because you might fall in love. Then end up with another bird. They are a lot of bird with too much personality in a tiny crazy hyper bird body.

It's so hard to say since people's opinion of 'loud' is different for different people. I personally don't know what a GCC sounds like, but I've heard people complain that Cockatiels are loud, whereas I don't agree.

As far as having birds in an apartment, remember, it doesn't have to be absolutely silent in your place. There is a reasonable amount of noises coming from one's apartment that would be considered acceptable by the majority of people. It's not a library after all . If someone plays music, tv, dog barking, bird making noises, etc. during daytime hours, it shouldn't be a problem unless it is obnoxiously excessive IMO and IME. The loudest bird I've lived in an apartment with was an Eclectus. Not noisy, but LOUD. It was fine, that did not cause any complaint. Also had a next door neighbor with a Goffin's Too which was very loud if the front door was open when you walked by, but I didn't really hear it through the wall too much.

I would say that my cockatiels are much more noisy than my GCC...in that they are across the board much more talkative. Queequeg "oinks" a lot, and kisses, which are very quiet and you usually can't hear unless you are holding her. She does however scream to greet the sun in the morning! It never lasts long, usually less than 5 minutes, but she is in that five minutes the noisiest creature under the sun. We live in a house, but you can definitely hear her outside.

So...whatever that is worth? Sorry!

Sorry to continue the OT!

GaleriaGila said:

Slightly off-topic, but...

MANNNNN! Everybody loves these little Green Cheeks!
They must be awesome little folks. I've never met one, but I'll look for an opportunity. Meanwhile, YouTube will have to do. They really ARE a lot of bird in a small package.

Click to expand...

Green cheeks are nippy, annoying, obnoxious, boring birds! I mean, just look at this one in the video!!!


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThipOcQSitg"]Pet Store Green Cheek Conure - YouTube[/ame]




(NOTE: This is one of several green cheeks my SO would *love* to bring home! LOL )


(NOTE #2: Not all green cheeks are like this! Just based on each individual bird! )