Why companion parrot owners shouldn't buy a bird for a bird

A thing that I see quite often is people urging one another to get another parrot for their current bird's sake and well-being. It is a wonderful and considerate suggestion, however. In most cases, we buy hand raised parrots. Whether we buy them from a breeder, save them from a rescue or rehome them from somebody who can no longer care for them, they tend to be hand raised in the beginning. A lot of larger species may have been raised on their own and have been the only bird they've known for a very long time. They may not know how to be a bird and are considerably independent on humans for their companionship. This is where adding a second bird for 'company' can be dangerous... 

Parrots can be very jealous creatures. If you already have a multiple bird household then I'm sure you would have seen it. If I were to have Harvey, the cockatiel, on my lap having a good tickle then another bird outside of it's cage would purposely come down and shoo him away. My orange winged Amazon, lesser sulphur crested cockatoo and black capped lory particularly seemed to hate Harvey. Harvey was hand raised by myself and so he was very, very needy and he would sit on me all day if given the chance. My other birds were far more independent. As soon as he would step up on to me, other birds would be flipping out, screaming, thrashing toys around and such. Clyde, the OWA, would fly at my face. Everybody was jealous of Harvey! 

If you have a single bird, and wish for them to have company while you're out, then get a bird that you want. You would have to house them separately, but just being in the same room as another bird can really help with your birds separation anxiety. They have another living, breathing being in the room. The only real issue you may have with a situation like that however is that if you had a hand raised bird who hadn't been socialized around other birds then there may be little to no point in buying that bird for them. Again, buy the bird that you want. If you think that your bird is bonded to you, get a different species if you want one, get whatever suits you best

Sometimes different species can interact with no issues
what so ever. However, I do not recommend attempting it!
If your bird becomes head over heels for another bird and
the feeling is mutual then that is fine, but don't push it

Birds who have been hand raised on their own, or not well socialized, often consider you to be their flock member or themselves as human. It is not one bit healthy. This is where introducing other birds to them can be a problem. If you wanted a bird to house with them for company, how would your bird feel? Firstly, they'd feel jealous because you would then be dividing your attention between the two. Secondly, they would have absolutely no idea how to behave around the other bird and so signals and messages wouldn't be well received, leading to conflict. The bird may then feel threatened and thus cause more trouble than it is worth 

The sort of bird who needs companionship is a bird who was parent raised or has had the opportunity to be raised with a group of birds and so knows it is still a bird. Birds who have also been passed on to a new owner and therefore have nothing to be jealous of can also be quite accepting of a buddy

Smaller species, who easily lose their 'tameness' once introduced to other birds can be fairly easy to pair up too. I have hand raised budgies successfully breeding in an aviary with multiple birds. Cockatiels, budgies, parrotlets and sometimes conures can prove to be the easiest, though do not underestimate the aggression or power behind some of the smaller species. They still can, will and do kill one another!

There are species that you have to be extremely cautious with when introducing a second bird as a mate. Lovebirds most certainly do not live up to their name! They are one of the most aggressive little birds I have had to deal with, especially the peach faced. A hand raised bird would be worse, but a parent raised bird is almost just as bad. I had found out the hard way when my brother lovies reached sexual maturity. One killed the other and then proceeded to take out his issues on the other birds in the aviary. If you want to give them company, give them another lovebird in another cage so they can still chatter to one another with the safety of a barrier between them 

Pebbles (left) & CJ (right). Pebbles killed CJ when he
reached sexual maturity. He showed no previous
signs of aggression

Indian ringnecks, especially females, can be very violent birds with their mates. I have heard of people having to clip the females in the aviary so the males have got an easier escape! Try housing the birds near one another but unless you have an aviary it is a very risky situation to put either bird in 

Echo, a parent raised Indian ringneck, would seek out
other birds and attack them if she was in a bad mood

Lories and lorikeets are a strange one, as are caiques. If you see them together, you can see how happy they are as part of a flock. They play rough, and I mean rough. However, both species are particularly aggressive too. If they take a disliking to a bird, it can end up dead. Darwin, my black capped lory, was terrible around my other lories and lorikeets. My Blue Mountain Swainson's lorikeet was head over heals for my dusky lory though! They were happily housed together. She would lay eggs regardless of whether they were together or not so it made little difference to myself, it meant I just had to monitor her. She would preen him and feed him all day long. If you showed her the green naped lorikeet though, all hell would break loose. She would seek him out in minutes and would attempt to jump on him 

Darwin, a black capped lory, would stalk
other bird before attacking them

If you have purchased, rehomed or rescued an aviary parrot then you will have far more success in introducing a mate. They would have been raised by their parents and hopefully left with them long enough to understand parrot etiquette. They know how to be a bird. These birds may want little to no human companionship and owning them on their own is very much so cruel. A parent raised budgie in a cage on it's own that doesn't get let out much for said reason would appreciate a mate more than we could imagine! Flock structure is healthy  

Please consider your bird's situation before you introduce another. Just because they're of the same species, it doesn't mean they're going to get on. Only buy a companion bird for yourself!