Research the different species to determine the care requirements,housing requirements, and overall time and interaction needed. A young hand-fed bird will likely be easier for you to handle and train. Here are a few ideas on some manageable bird species.

* Parakeets/Budgies These smart and colorful little guys are entertaining. Because of their small size they are easy to keep, clean up after, and care for. They are quit intelligent in spite of their small size around 8 inches from beak to tail. The average life span is from 5 to 9 years. While they look forward to spending time with you, they are independent. They can learn to talk and whistle tunes. Budgies should be let out of their cage for a couple of hours each day in a secure area to exercise. With the proper training they can be a joyful first bird.

* Cockatiels These guys are quit intelligent and can be extremely affectionate. At about 12 inches from beak to tail, with an average life span of 10 to 20 years. They are very social and enjoy spending time with you. You should handle and talk to your cockatiel everyday to keep him tame. They can learn to talk but prefer to whistle and mimic sounds such as the phone ringing. Cockatiels should be let out of their cage to play, and stretch their wings. Because of their natural friendly nature and playfulness they can be a fun first bird.

Finches and Canaries These little guys prefer staying in flight cages, they thrive in small flocks, and generally pay little attention to humans. This would be a good first bird if you have very little time to spend with them but love to watch birds. At about 5 inches long, with a life span of of 5 to 10 years. They a beautiful to look at and listen to their songs.

Lovebirds These adorable, colorful guys can be extremely affectionate. At about 6 inches long, with an average life span of 15 to 20 years. Lovebirds thrive on interaction, you will need to spend alot of time handling and interacting with him if you have just one, if you don’t have alot of time to spend with him you should buy a mate for him to interact with. They are very social and cannot thrive without interaction. Lovebirds are active, and must be provided with room to fly and climb around. They love to chew and need to be provided with toys that they can exercise their jaws on. They generally don’t talk.