Green cheek or Quaker

Hi all I am wanting a great companion bird and I heard that these two are the best is it true and I am wanting a bird that can bond really well with me but my family can hold to. I am also looking for a bird that I can take outside and free flight it


Cheers Birdlov

Hello Birdlov and welcome

From what I understand, it’s illegal to keep quaker parrots as pets in WA. Green cheek conures make brilliant companions but they do have a tendency to become “one person” birds and if you still live with family, the person they choose to bond with may not be you!

Free flight in Australia can be tricky due to the many predatory birds and often the owner is the last one to see the danger until it’s too late.

Cockatiels are more family friendly in general, but don’t get too caught up in one particular species. We often find that the right bird is the one that “chooses” us

Birdlov said:

Hi all I am wanting a great companion bird and I heard that these two are the best is it true and I am wanting a bird that can bond really well with me but my family can hold to. I am also looking for a bird that I can take outside and free flight it


Cheers Birdlov

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Hello Birdlov, and welcome to the forum, I'm still learning a lot about Australia, sorry I'm not knowledgeable on the subject, but welcome and best of luck.

Welcome to this community of parrot lovers...I agree with LaManuka when choosing (if possible)...QUOTE=LaManuka "We often find that the right bird is the one that “chooses” us ". I'm sure that many others would agree.


With respect to free flight...Ellie is always harnessed when outside! We call it a 'safety harness' for good reason. We are surrounded by 'bird-eaters': Wedge tailed eagles, sea eagles, grey/brown and white goshawks, kites, falcons, goannas, and snakes etc. Ellie is always supervised when outside.

And a welcome to you!

Welcome, thanks for joining and seeking information! I am not familiar with either species, but wonderful advice posted above!

Welcome to the forum!
I have a GCC named Callum. I don't have any experience with Quakers, so I will speak on my GCC only.
Callum is definitely only a one-person bird. If my friends or visitors try to handle or pet him, he will first back away, and then bite them if they continue to pester him. He loves my grandma and I, but that's the extent of his social-ness. However, I wasn't aware that the Pak-O-Bird existed and I didn't socialize Callum as much as I would have liked. If I ever do get that backpack, Callum will come with me.

Callum is loud for a GCC. Obviously, there is no such thing as a completely quiet bird, but Callum is loud. If I am out of the room and he can't follow, he will call for me. I've tried training that out of him, but I've given up. If he can follow, he will land on my shoulder and just chill with me. Callum is also a singer and loves to squeal along with songs, or the random tunes I make up and sing for him. If I'm playing video games (like, Overwatch), Callum will screech when I do or just make noises in general. He loves to laugh at me when I get frustrated.
Callum is also fantastic at imitating sounds. Callum beat-boxes, laughs, and says his name, nicknames, kissy noises, and is working on a number of phrases.

Callum wants to be with me constantly. If I'm sitting at my computer (like now), he will jump between my shoulder and chair and constantly groom my hair (I have shaved hair, so he loves to groom that), my cheeks, eyelids, eyebrows, lips, and my ear until I notice him. I can see why people could think that's a negative behavior, but I don't mind so long as he is gentle. If I'm playing games, he has to be right there. I don't mind it and I try to include him in everything I do. I'm home a lot of the time, so he gets plenty of love and free time.

Callum also hates random things. My inhalers? Hates them. He puffs himself up, headbobs, and bites them. If he can't get to them, he will bite me because he's so mad. I'm pretty sure he broke the cartilage in my ear from being angry that he couldn't reach my inhalers while on my shoulder. He hates water bottles and soda pop bottles. He hates my PS4 controller. He hates a lot of things, mostly brightly colored things. We are working on it, but he can and will bite me.

Now, I can't end it there. Callum is a MAJOR lover boy. He loves getting kisses, he loves kissing my lips (and making a kissing noise), he loves laying on my chest, he loves cuddling. He has this weird thing where he'll push his head up to my nose and then have me breathe on him. I think he enjoys the warm air rushing through his feathers. He loves getting kisses from me. This bird craves my attention and my love. Callum loves to watch my screen when I play video games.

All in all, I wouldn't trade Callum for anything. He has his "cons," his quirks, and his lovable attitude, but GCCs tend to be nippy and orientated towards one person. He loves me and I love him to death. Thankfully, I've lucked out on Callum not being too nippy and giving warnings when due.
He does get jealous of me loving on my other animals, but I think that's normal bird behavior.

Every bird is different. The “one-person-bird” thing isn’t always true with green cheeks. Kermit goes on walks outside with his harness and will go to strangers with some convincing. He’ll even let young children pet him and he will sit on their heads and shoulders. Socialization is important with any parrot to prevent bad habits from developing. Kermit was only recently harness trained and did not get socialized much previously, yet he still tolerates complete strangers. Maybe he’s an exception, but it is definitely possible to have a well-socialized green cheek.

Kermit is cuddly, attention-seeking, and a velcro bird like most green cheeks. He can be a bit nippy at times but it’s usually not hard and this behavior can easily be worked with. His main “con” is that he is a bully to my other birds. He will deliberately chase after them so they will fly off of me, so that he can get my 100% full attention. He is also a struggle to get in his cage lol.

Edit: I think free flight would be too risky, especially for a small bird like a GCC or quaker. Either take them outside in a carrier or in a safe, secure harness. Many people here use the Pak-o-Bird as well. Kermit goes outside in his Aviator Harness, but I would never trust him to free-fly. You would probably need help from a professional trainer in order to do that safely.

FlyBirdiesFly said:

Every bird is different. The “one-person-bird” thing isn’t always true with green cheeks. Kermit goes on walks outside with his harness and will go to strangers with some convincing. He’ll even let young children pet him and he will sit on their heads and shoulders. Socialization is important with any parrot to prevent bad habits from developing. Kermit was only recently harness trained and did not get socialized much previously, yet he still tolerates complete strangers. Maybe he’s an exception, but it is definitely possible to have a well-socialized green cheek.

Kermit is cuddly, attention-seeking, and a velcro bird like most green cheeks. He can be a bit nippy at times but it’s usually not hard and this behavior can easily be worked with. His main “con” is that he is a bully to my other birds. He will deliberately chase after them so they will fly off of me, so that he can get my 100% full attention. He is also a struggle to get in his cage lol.

Edit: I think free flight would be too risky, especially for a small bird like a GCC or quaker. Either take them outside in a carrier or in a safe, secure harness. Many people here use the Pak-o-Bird as well. Kermit goes outside in his Aviator Harness, but I would never trust him to free-fly. You would probably need help from a professional trainer in order to do that safely.

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Which is exactly what I was trying to get to. My Callum just falls into the "negative" stereotypes of GCCs. I can work on them because I was weird and didn't do it when he was younger. I'm definitely working on it now.