Help in comparing these species

[chris-md]

Hello all! I appreciate the guidance I got last month when I posted about recommendations. I've been doing tons of research (and, sadly, at times thinking so hard about it--read obsessing--a couple nights I lost some sleep!) and I could use a bit more guidance. If you would indulge, I need some of the following comparisons and rankings for Hahns macaw, Blue Headed Pionus, Eclectus, and Blue crowned conure. I'm having a hard time visualizing some things based off of internet readings. So it'd be nice to have it all here in one place to see.

1. Can you rank them 1, 2, 3 according to length, smallest to largest?
2. Same, but for weight. (or, in all its vagueness, combine 1 and 2 to say rank size, smallest to largest).
3. Rank for noise (would help to mention to what degree they differ: BCC is louder than Hahn's, but not by much at all, or by a lot...etc)
4. General comments/observations of each if you have them.
5. Is the Eclectus diet really as much a pain as I've been reading?

Its almost between a BCC and BHP. I just cannot for the life of me seem to break this stalemate. Add to it I've always wanted a Scarlet, and the possibility of having that in a smaller macaw like the Hahn's (imagine my happy surprise when I discovered there actually was a macaw the size of a conure! The smallest I had ever known was my grandmas nasty military macaw), then add to it a supposedly calm multiperson nature and talking ability of the eclectus, and I'm just having the hardest time choosing! It will help to get a visual of what they look like size wise, at least seeing it written here side by side will help until I'm able to get to a breeder here in the DC area to see the birds first hand--any recommendations for breeders in my area?

Really appreciate the guidance everyone I'm buying a house hopefully here in the next month or so, have to pay off CC debt, then i can buy a bird. Its a couple years off, so I'm actually very glad I have LOTS of time to consider this.
Many thanks everyone!

 

[parrotqueen]

Hi Chris! Here some answers to your questions!

1. The average weight of the adult male Eclectus is 430 grams with a range of 388 to 524, The adult female Eclectus is 452 grams with a range of 383 - 549 grams. They are generally about 11-14 inches long, depending on subspecies.

Hahn's Macaw: weighs 0.4 pounds, 12 inches and 31 cm long.

BCC: usually weigh between 3 - 4.6 oz (84 - 130 grams), and are 7 and a half inches long.

Blue-headed Pionus: normally about 11 inches (28 cm) in length and its weight range is between 200 to 260 grams.

3. Noise Levels, the scary part...

Eclectus: These birds are normally a quieter species of parrot, the reason why they were actually the very first parrots I ever considered getting.

Hahn's: The naughty boys, these birdies are quite noisy!

BCC: If well entertained, they remain pretty quiet. These birds easily become excessive screamers. Their screams are extremely loud.

Pionus: Very quiet like the Eclectus, lovely little birds indeed.

4. All I can say is that the eclectus are GORGEOUS birds. Conures are popular for cuddliness and playfulness. They are great for children, and fun to watch. Hahn's macaws are often naughty little guys, chewing your buttons and making a lot of noise!

5. Yes, the Eclectus diet is sort of a pain. Their diets can NOT be based off of seed and pellet mixture like other parrots. It must be based off of sot foods, such as fruits and veggies. 80% soft food, 20% seed and pellet. Eclectus are also often fussy eaters, further complicating it. This is fixed by grinding the food he/she does not like, and mixing it in with the favorites.

Hope this helps, and good luck with the move!

 

[birdcrazy]

HI! it's great to see you're doing your research! I have a blue crowned conure:

I like to describe him as the perfect bird. Now I know everyone is different, but I love mine!!!

A little background about Paulie (he came to me named, and already saying Paulie's a goodboy so I didn't have the heart to change it to something more original)

Paulie's aprroximately 2-3 yrs old. He's been a member of my family for a little over a year now.

My dad was teaching class at the junior college and one of his students was talking about her new pet parrot. It turns out that her boss had an amazon, african grey, and blue crowned conure she was trying to find new homes for. So I jumped at the chance to give the blue crowned a home, as I had wanted one eventually as my next bird.
I picked Paulie up and knew I had my work cut out for me. The cage he had been living in for the last year was 18X16. A size i would hesitate to put a cockatiel in. He had one dowl perch chewed almost to a tooth pick and one rope perch frayed to the point of no return. I think he had 2 toys that were about parakeet sized in his cage.
I get him home put him in a travel carrier and start throughly disenfecting his cage which was rusted and stained by nicoteine. when roaches start running out from under the paper. Needless to say after throughly disenfecting it it became a temporary home to my teil until another cage came in from ebay.
It took a little while for Paulie to come out of his shell. He hadn't been used to using perches and would just cling to the bars of his cage stretching his feet constantly. It took a few months and he was a different bird. His feathers became brighter, and he started talking constantly. He loves playing with toys now, and his favorite perch is a lava rock my mom got him. So here's a few more details.

~He isn't loud at all compared to my jenday conure- however he has the capability if he ever wanted to, but instead of shrieking he usually just makes this chatter sound, and he talks almost constantly

~He is very gentle... My mom who is scared of my jenday doesn't hesitate to hold Paulie..

Anyways this has been my expereince with him. I love him sooo much! He's been a great little parrot.

 

[chris-md]

Thank you guys! That has really helped a lot. I have a hunch that its coming down to the BHP and the BCC. Eclectus would be my first choice, but frankly I know I'm not dedicated enough to prepare a veggie and fruit meal 2x a day for my bird. Thats just soooo expensive! I'm all for giving fruit and veggie treats if I happen to have them, but I don't want to go out of my way to prepare a meal.

Based on your description, parrotqueen, a BHP really seems like a smaller, non talking eclectus. And they are quite beautiful! Big plus! Though having owned a red throated conure for a number of years, I find myself somewhat pulled to a BCC (thats an incredibly touching story birdcrazy!), if only because conures are what I know and know what to expect from them. I guess the $250-$700 question is do i want to venture out and expand my horizons, or stick with what I know...

I guess the most blunt way to put this if I'm being truly honest with myself: I've done the smaller parrot thing, and I want to get a more macaw like bird that is just as easy to care for as the smaller birds. But I know theres not really such thing, aside from maybe the Eclectus which I basically ruled out, so I have more soul searching to do. :64:

 

[birdcrazy]

have you thought of maybe a timneh grey? I know when I was researching my next bird I was looking at the pionus, timneh grey, goffins cockatoo, severe macaw, and blue crowned conure. The blue crowned conure just fell into place. I wasn't looking to expand the flock for a couple years and I just woke up that morning and by the next day was bringing home a new baby.
but these are all species I was considering because a larger bird intriqued me and after having Sidney my jenday I wanted something quieter. I realize not all these guys are quieter, but they all had different characteristics I was interested in. Anyways just throwing out a few more options to look into. I like to reccomend going to bird fairs or reputable parrot stores or just looking up adds on craigslist and letting the bird choose you. 9 times out of 10 all the sudden something will click and you'll know this is the one. Then both birdy and owner are off to great start. Good luck in finding your next birdy companion, and keep us updated with what your thinking. I know sometimes when making a big decision like this it helps to "voice" our concerns and throw our thoughts out there for other's input. We're all here for ya!

 

[chris-md]

Aw thanks birdcazy. Talking "out loud" here actually is helping my thought process a bit. And I have thought of a timneh before. It was my first choice, even above an eclectus. But there are allergy issues, and I can't compound the problem with a feather powder-producer I'm an orchid grower so am quite familiar with orchid shows, but I didn't know they did bird fairs. Definitely have to check one out!