African grey & Bluefronted Amazon

Hello,
I'm Hitesh Parmar from INDIA
I love all of your parrots buddy.
I'm planning to buy one of this species but still I'm getting confused?
Actually im planning to buy one of them AFG or BFA and i love both of them very much. But pls suggest me which one is best talker best entertainer best family member for me?
Please suggest and share your experience.🙏🏻
Lots of love from India 🇮🇳
Thank you.

Welcome Hitesh, glad you found us. I suggest you read some of the threads on both our Amazon and African Gray sub-forums. There is a LOT of information on both. As you read keep in mind that while each species has some abilities and personality traits that are common to each, every single parrot is an individual with their own mind. There are African Greys that never say a word, and Blue Front Amazons who talk and sing up a storm. You must be able to accept each parrot for it's own self, just as you would a human child. Parrots are very much like that, a human child that never grows up, needing your care, attention and love their entire life, which can be 50+ years if taken care of. They are as smart as a 3 to 5 year old child, with very strong emotions that can be crushed if their human owner does not love them and care for them.

The mid to large Parrots need to transition between baby and Adult, and that transition can be difficult to very difficult for the Parrot and the Human. The transition common takes years to complete. And, as stated above, they are life long members of your home.

In my opinion, this group of parrots are not recommended for those who do not have a history of working with mid to larger Parrots. They can inflict serious bodily harm and are expensive to care for, especially medical care.

I would recommend that you consider a Parrot native to India as food will be far more available and at a more reasonable cost.

NOTE: Parrots are not comfort pets as most, and especially the ones you are considering do not want to be petted or cuddled much, if at all.

Welcome to you!

Welcome to the forums Hitesh! You face a difficult decision as Greys and BFAs are quite different. Each has wonderful characteristics, can be entertaining and closely bond.

Some helpful threads for you to consider!
http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/65119-i-love-amazons-going-journey.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/54250-amazon-body-language.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html

Perhaps the best method is to spend time with each species if you are able. Having one of each may be impractical, but fair warning, there is an epidemic among bird lovers with no cure. We call it MBS: Multiple Bird Syndrome!

Speaking as someone who has experience with both types of parrot (amazon 30+ years and CAG going on 5 years)

Amazon parrots are less needy. The don't usually start plucking feather.
Amazons are more prone to be a one person bird. They become bonded to one member of the family and can become aggressive towards other family members. I understand that this can be lessened by proper training but it can take time.
Amazon parrots are more prone to screaming that a CAG. This is something that is in there nature and you can reduce the noise somewhat by training but you wont get away from it.
My CAG has only outright screamed when she thought she was in mortal danger. It's a horrible sound and one you won't forget but it's rare. That doesn't mean they wont be loud but it's mostly whistles and noises that are more entertaining than annoying.

Body language is totally different. If you are starting from scratch it wont matter. The biggest thing to remember is Amazons Never Bluff . If they are in a grumpy mood and you try to pick them up you will get bitten.
My CAG on the other hand does try to bluff. They have a way of making there feathers all stand out looking like a porcupine. In this pose she might bite me but she might not, more often it's not.
Even at her worst my CAG has never bitten me 1/2 as hard and my YNA.

That's my 2 cents worth.
Agree with Sailboat above, might be better to stick with a species that is local to you.
Here in North America there are no native parrots (unless you count the wild parrot flocks in places like Los Angeles).

Welcome!
Parrots can be fun and entertaining, but that is the result of so much hard work and there is no way to know if one will be nice or a talker because they change SO MUCH when they become adults/hit puberty. They are much harder to own than a dog or cat and require a TON of training, patience, and lifestyle changes. They are discarded frequently by well-meaning people who think they know what they are getting into and quickly realize they were unprepared to take one on. Please just make sure you research their health needs (including things like Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/PFCs) before taking one on. I am not saying you are going to be a bad owner- I am just asking you to think VERY carefully and research behavior/lifestyle changes before adopting.

I don't believe in "starter birds" but I will say that the larger the species, the more dangerous, the louder and the more expensive to house, feed, and entertain..And a large bird can send someone to the emergency room much more easily than a small one. Don't be fooled- budgies and smaller species are incredibly intelligent as well (but most people don't give them the time that it takes to create a tame bird). All birds take a long time-- the difference is, large parrot owners tend to spend a lot more money on their birds, which means they often have more to lose if it goes wrong (BUT--birds large and small get neglected and discarded all the time). I am just saying-- a small bird is as intelligent and can be just as entertaining (as many small bird owners in this forum will tell you) but they ALL require a huge amount of time, routine etc (including a bedtime schedule)...and they are MESSY AND LOUD...But bigger birds are the loudest when they want to be...All birds are loud, expensive, messy, destructive and annoying at times (the entertaining parts are mixed with very frustrating parts).

Imagine adopting a crazy 3-4-year old who never grows up, can fly, and has a chainsaw for a face....then imagine that the child has natural energy levels for flying 40+ miles a day, but is locked up all the time..and then add to that, the fact that any chemicals, smoke, incense, burning food, perfumes, Teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs, candles etc can kill them....It's A LOT to take on--- and they need to be with you for years and years (sometimes 80+) because they bond for life and get super upset if bounced from home to home. They need hours of time each day and they need someone to wake them up and put them to bed at the same time daily. They also require a ton of fresh veg etc and they are very sensitive to changes within the home...On top of that, they often get super close to one person and can become aggressive towards other family members (yes-- they can be socialized, but it is, as I said, A LOT of work and it takes a lonnnnnng time). Babies are always super sweet until they hit puberty- so it is easy to assume that a young bird is gentle etc, when in reality, much like a human baby, they are just immature.

Thank you so much all of you.