Another this or that: blue crown conure or hahns macaw

i hope you all don't find another one of these comparison threads. I find them incredibly fascinating and very helpful in guiding me in my decision on parrot ownership. I am also finding that these threads also suss out subtle behavioral nuances that you don't often hear otherwise.

I'm interested in the comparison between owning a blue crown conure versus a Hahns macaw. I know this comparison has been queried on this forum and others a few times in the past, but there seems to be a new mix of active poster since those last threads were made, so I hope you don't mind the repeat.

I feel like an eclectus would be probably the best fit, however financial situations have changed in the last couple days that could potentially puts this species out of my price range.

I generally get that blue crowns are very very similar to macaws, and even being debated as taxonomically moving them into the macaw family. Are there appreciable difference is in behaviors between these two?

I'm particularly interested in activity level, if one tends to be a little more/less active than the other (allowing for The caveat that this could often very simply from one individual to another), and also FREQUENCY of calling throughout the day (not loudness, I get they are both pretty loud).

And just to throw it in there, what about a pionus? I hear them often likened to Amazons. With their reputed quiet and stoic nature,Would you describe them as A smaller cheaper version of Eclectus (since amazons onto exactly known for being quiet)?

Thank you all so much for all your help in this process I'm going through. I'm really trying to take my time and research as much as possible.

Not that I'm going to be any help but I happen to love what I have read about both these species (Hahns and BCC) and the videos I've seen. I don't own either but would love to one day in the future so I'll be watching this thread also.

Mildred (BCC) is extremely high energy. She never sits still. She's always rolling over and trying to destroy things.

She is pretty quiet throughout the day. She entertains herself when she is in her cage.

She bites a lot and likes to do whatever she wants.

She has a large vocabulary and she is very funny.

She does squawk when she gets excited (music playing or the vacuum), but she is silent usually.

She only likes one person (my Mother).

She is VERY Macaw-like. She does a lot of the same things as a Macaw.

I would get whichever one you can find. Look for BCC and Hahns Macaw breeders and see what you can find. They are both pretty much the same.

Thanks a lot Frumpy. That you are saying get whatever I have access to actually speaks volumes to me. Though it doesn't help since I have access to both from a local breeder!

You could meet both and see what you think. See if one picks you.

I have a BCC and I love him to pieces but he has learned to be very noisy. He does it for attention. They are extremely smart birds. He has learned to "pretend" that his foot is stuck in a toy so that we come running to check on him. His voice can be extremely loud. I do love the fact that he is very smart, however and find this attribute very interesting. He also "whispers" when he is being too loud and this is extremely loud. Again, clever, but annoying.

While I can understand the cost of certain birds can be prohibitive at first, I urge you to wait until you can afford the type of bird that you truly want. The cost of the bird is nothing compared to their upkeep. Avian veterinary care is very expensive. If you narrow down the type of bird that you really want, you might also consider contacting your local avian vet to put your name on a list for birds needing to be re-homed. There are many, many--even young--birds who need new homes and you can potentially get a very good pet for almost nothing. My son works at an avian vet clinic and weekly I hear of good birds without ANY problems who need homes. The reason I suggest a vet is because they will know the bird's situation and will be honest with you. Good luck with whatever type of bird you decide. They are wonderful companions.

Momtwo3, thank you for the advise. I've been hesitant about rescues (for a few reasons I'll spare you to avoid the wall of text) but I have been warming up to the idea over the last week or so.

As far as the eclectus, It really would take me at least a good 5 years at this point before I could possibly get an Eclectus. I have previously owned an Aratinga (red throated conure), whom I thoroughly enjoyed. I know I would enjoy a blue crown conure. And given how similar they are to the Hahn's, I'm certain I would enjoy the Hahns just as much.


Its really the docile nature of the Eclectus I'm most attracted to. While I enjoyed my conure, I'm very much a couch potato and I'm looking for the bulldog of the parrot world. I have a yorkie, and love her, so I can do a conure if need be, the sychronicity just wouldn't be quite as tight, I think, as it would with an Eclectus.

Chris-Md
You could be on to something with an Eclectus. I too have a Yorkie and now that you make me think about it, my Blue Crown and my Yorkie share personality traits. While I don't own an Eclectus, it would be my next bird if I ever would get another. I can't recall my son ever commenting on an ornery Eclectus at the clinic and they do seem to be pretty docile and low key birds. I have heard that this is a species where there are distinct differences between sexes, but with anything it isn't a hard and fast rule. I would be very scared about taking in a re-homed bird unless it was from a vet or someone you knew personally. I think too often people say they are "moving and can't take" and they really don't want a problem bird and are willing to pass it on to someone else. I would really give the vet route some serious consideration. My son BEGGED (he is 15) me to get a hyacynth mccaw that he knew from our vet's, but I really didn't want to take on a huge bird. This bird was truly an awesome bird and had absolutely no issues; the child of the family developed a severe allergy and they had to re-home. It was only like 3 years old! I am just saying...if you have your heart set on a certain type of bird keep looking and the right one will find its way to you.

You better believe it. My yorkie and my conure are/were high energy attention...[ahem] seekers. And I'll admit I'm a yorkie convert (I'll likely only own yorkies since getting my baby girl). But since I'm more a couch potato than anything, i want something a little more mellow for a bird.

Of course, i'm at the point now where online reading and research has taken me as far as it's going to take me; I now need to start getting out and actually interacting with different birds. I'm open to falling in love with whatever bird chooses me. I'm just really hoping it's more of a mellow bird rather than a energizer clown.